I hate SPAM. There I said it. Who does.
Do I mind bulk mail or legit bulk email... I do not mind. I have file 13. A trash can.
I get adverts all the time in my postal mail. So in my email, I am like every other good consumer. Think about who I am , what I want, and bring me something of value. Also let me give you feedback (opt-out) so I can say stop wasting your time and money cause I am not interested in the offer in front of me. I also love it when I can opt-out of everything from a company.
I think activist organizations should focus more on riding me of the people sending emails of offers not compliant with Federal Law. The average US citizen with a real offer, real business, and putting his neck out there to market themselves online has enough trouble figuring out how to stay profitable. Let us all remember this is the good old USA and some things we do not have rights, just privileges.
To sum up Compliance in a nutshell:
business.ftc.gov/documents/bus61-can-spam-act-Compliance-Guide-for-Business
Just the same it is the activist organizations right to state their opinions and for the most part are within their legal right to run an organization to prevent anything they want. If they want to suppress education . . . they have a equal right to do so. Fair or not fair. We all have equal rights here. Not a perfect system, but a darn good one.
Driving is not a right, it is a privilege. Sending bulk email in compliance with federal law is not a privilege... it is a right. Best practices are for things we are privileged to do. Promoting our business within the entire USA under Federal Law is a right we must stick together to protect. So let us understand reality and the history of US postal mail vs our now biggest communicator email.
Both the consumer and business share the burden of responsibility. We have two way streets in the USA for a reason. Let's get some common sense back into the world and stop with the emotional decisions of things we have not clearly thought through. There are people out there to con us and take our money. Then there are real businesses that put a phone number, address, and name. They say hey do business with me. I am over here and I am real. If not, thank you for your time, and please let me know never to bother you again.
I have a letter signed by the secretary of defense thanking me for serving in the USAF during the cold war. Of anyone that has the privilege to say I am on the side of everything our fore-fathers stood for . . . I do. I put my life on the line so you and everyone in the USA could have the opportunities and freedoms we all share.
So with all the sayings in the world like "be kind rewind" or "your mother does not work here so clean up after yourself". On this one, you might want to, follow two sayings:
Do not sweat the small stuff (cite: Richard Carlson)
Just as anything and everything is a risk. Doing business with Joshua Greenwood of SendBulkEmail.net was a no brainer. Just make sure you have it to invest; otherwise, put your money where it is most needed.
So here is the real skinny; IE the numbers. I paid $300 and the $27 a week. It has been since August 23, 2010 and I am still paying the weekly fee. I am so cheap I make all my ventures 90%+ profitable. So for me to keep paying anything says I value Joshua's advice through his webex educational presentations, his weekly suppression, and the opt-in data he has for us.
I do not claim to know everything, but the facts are anyones data is not perfect. I have fresh feeds from my sites and get data all day long. I am still evaluating Joshua, but I can say I made my money back the first day I applied what I learned on one project. Let me repeat that very important part. The first day I applied what I learned. Not the day I paid for the membership.
However I have been marketing since 1996 . . . so I can see if someone did not watch all the training, apply it, get one of his servers or your own, and do "business"... one could not move forward or get a return on their investment. They also more than likely are the kind of individual that could not find their way out of a wet paper bag.
I am unbiased, I have no idea who Joshua really is. I am just a conservative capitalist at heart that knows it is not an emotional decision, but more of a liberal risk taking to invest a small token of money, educate myself, and apply.
It worked. Did I make a million dollars. No. Did he claim he was going to make me rich. No. Did everything work perfectly smooth and took no effort. No, it took some work and more investing into hosting and time. Did Joshua trick me into another time and money suck. No. I got on the phone... I called the man and he admitted I am not the average customer. Now granted I called way back when a lot of the heat was not on the guy.
I am sure Joshua does not want members that will use his membership for harm to any business or consumer. Or for that fact do anything that is not legit. I am sure he has rejected a few people and said sorry... I do not want to do business with you.
He sold me a membership. He gave me the missing piece I could not get from any other business on the net (that I have found).
Suppression. I already knew suppression was the holy grail of emarketing. Thing was I could not really find anyone willing to help get a standard master suppression repository together until I found Joshua.
His membership does me more good than my membership at the gym.
Do I do use everything in Joshua's membership. No. He has way too much for me to get to. Is there a guarantee. Nothing is a guarantee. NOTHING. Anything can and will happen guarantees always have a "or" condition. Will you be able to do the same. I have no clue what you are capable of or your level of desire and commitment to yourself and/or your family.
The FTC had a reason why they recently told marketers to be clear on the claims made. The US Government wants us all to start being responsible for our own actions.
I will say from a legal standpoint, I have no idea how he runs his business. I can only say the facts from my experience. I paid for a membership. I was educated from it. I applied what I learned. I made bank. I work for a legit operation which I applied my education. Am I a happy consumer. Not a shred of regret.
Now I am rethinking all the SEM I have done over the years and the past three years of research into emarketing I have to say Joshua is the latest and greatest bulk mail guru willing not to soak me for a fortune and be a straight shooter.
Just please "market responsibly". When I want off your list . . . I want off. Be clear in your TOS or privacy policy. Know what words to say or not to say. Otherwise the FTC will be knocking on your door and yeah . . . you do not want that.
Do not fool yourself in thinking anyone is going to give you data they got from the consumer just hours ago and that no one else has it. Especially for a few bills.
You can only trust your own sites for that. Period. You get what you pay for. With this one you get more, but not the entire world at your feet.
So I am going to leave you with this. DO NOT GET A MEMBERSHIP.
Go to infousa and rent your data there. Or in all fairness databaseemailer is a good piece of software and Al has data (I spent $2,195 so far there since December 30, 2009; I bought a ton of licenses for his software). Not as much for the price, but I am sure there are quite a few guys out there with cheap "raw" opt-in data from compliant sites.
Yep, I said for you not to do it. Why . . . cause I have a job to do and you are probably my competition. Period.
All the best,
Rob James
