Main Content

Introducing your product to Well House Consultants - single, personally tuned email please

Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2013-07-08 13:31:15 - Graham Ellis

Have you noticed the number of unsolicited bulk emails you receive that say "If you would like [more information] then please [call / email]" ... yeah, so have I! And there seems to be a trend these days for the spammers to follow up with "Regarding my last email. Were you interested in...". Funnily enough, I would have thought it was obvious to the bulk emailers that if they didn't get a reply, then the answer was "no, thank you".

Now - I'm not the world's best speller (regular readers will know that), but if you're going to indulge in sending out bulk emails you should...
• a) get your spelling right - "becuse" should be "because", right?
• b) especially get the name of the company / person you are approaching right. We're Well House Consultants and not Wellhouse - two words not one;
• c) avoid sending out multiple emails to the same person using his/her different addresses!
• d) When the answer is a definite (or implicit) "no" you should not keep hammering away.
• e) Set the reply address on your email to your own contact point not to a bulk emailing house!
• f) comply with the law, which in the UK states you should only email to people who have opted in, and you should give a valid unsubscribe address [more]

From my email on 30th May

Hello,

We'd like to do the accounts for Wellhouse Consultants. If you're not completely satisfied with your current Accountant or would be interested in reducing the fees, but not the quality, then please speak to us.

We're less expensive becuse we use technology. This way we can deliver more and better service in less time without cutting any corners.

If you would like a modern, fully functional, fast and always available accounting service that saves you money and time please just call or just have a look at our website for more information.


The absence of a call back from me, or an email, or a trackback on their website, should be a pretty clear indication that I'm not interested. But...

From my email this morning (8th July) to "info@wellho.net" at 11:45

Hello,

Regarding my last email. Were you interested in us doing your accounts?

Our fixed fees structure has been so useful for businesses similar to yours. Plus our online accounting service is always available and is designed to save you time as well as money.

Further information is on our website. We will also be happy to discuss this further over the phone.

Regards,

Philip Gurnhill - Director
Tel. 01666 822256
FF Online Accounting


And to "graham@wellho.net" at 12:57

Graham,

Regarding my last email. Were you interested in us doing your accounts?

Our fixed fees structure has been so useful for businesses similar to yours. Plus our online accounting service is always available and is designed to save you time as well as money.

Further information is on our website. We will also be happy to discuss this further over the phone.


Oh - and putting tracking links onto your email so that you'll know which ones have been read is clever, but probably not going to endear you to people the people you're pestering! Such a pity when a local business - this one's in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, markets in this way.

Am I really spending time documenting this? Yes, because it's the third unsolicited repeated sales approach in a similar vein in three hours, and having done it once I can simply refer people to http://melksh.am/sellingtous to read this detail.

Ironically, I don't personally mind single, individually written and targeted emails from people I don't know. Where it's obvious that they're bulk / automated, I get less happy - especially if they don't even pay tacit respect to the law by offering an unsubscribe address. A single, personal email approach of this sort is, indeed, what I expect from new businesses approaching us on Chamber of Commerce business, potential new employees asking if we have vacancies (as I write, the answer is "sorry, we don't"). And emails are so much better than phone calls... I took one this morning "Oh I'm glad I reached you. I've tried before but your staff kept telling me you were away". Yes, I was away, and I'm unlikely to buy telephone services from a cold call from "Number Withheld", especially as we get ourselves listed on telephone preference services.