Inbound Marketing

The company was offering a new software that would advance online meetings and conferences and bring them to a whole new level. I was certainly intrigued by their website and pitch and was delighted they were offering a beta testing program to those who came via my marketing experts link. I immediately signed up.

When I tried to log in I couldn’t. I was having all sorts of troubles. As I had been instructed (being a beta tester) I immediately alerted tech support of the issues. I received back an email from their support person saying that I had been offered the beta testing “by mistake” and that I wasn’t one of their target market. I’m not sure how they determine that, but I certainly was surprised. I assumed their target market would be those who read my marketing experts newsletter, as that is where I found it. Apparently I was wrong. I wrote the support person back and asked him if he knew what my business was, and how he determined I was not in his market. At this point I became very curious. I could have just dropped the whole thing, but I always have a need to know.

Another email came back from Mr/Ms Support saying that according to my profile (the one I filled out when signing up) I was a one-person company and they were looking for larger companies. I wrote them back and asked if they realized as a marketing consultant I could have access to a wide variety of companies. They quickly backed down and gave me my beta testing. Of course you can’t offer everything to everyone, but making assumptions can be business-limiting. And actually telling me I was undesirable was just about a killer.

The point is, you never know the real story behind who you are talking to. You may have a “target” market, but don’t stay so far in that circle that you miss people who may be on the outside and are influential. Treat everyone as if they or someone they know will become your best life-time customer or client. I once got a client from talking to my local bank teller casually one day while banking.

Sure it’s an interesting piece of software, and sure, I would never withhold it’s knowledge to clients that it might be the right thing for their needs, but I have a sour taste in my mouth about this company. They have done harm to the company’s reputation and I hope for for their sake I am the only one that got this treatment.

Not only that, but they did harm to the marketing experts reputation who pointed me towards them in the first place. I wondered if he had taken the time to find out what they were offering and to whom, or was he doing it because he got a commission on any conversions to the paying software.

Keith Ferrazzi in “Never Eat Alone” writes a great deal about influencers and how important they are to your business.