As an Internet marketer who also builds his own list, I too am on the lists of other marketers. I do this to find out what they’re doing. I want to see what tactics they’re using, what they’re promoting and yes, even pick up a product that I might find useful. This article is a major rant against a practice that I see way too often. If you are guilty of this, shame on you. If you don’t like rants, don’t read this article. You’ve been warned.

This is a true story. As we’re winding down to the end of this year, I realized that there were a few lists that I really had no use for anymore. So I scrolled down to the bottom of the page and clicked on the unsubscribe button. I clicked it and it took me to a page where I was able to change my subscription options. At that point, I unsubscribed from each list. I was even sent a confirmation email telling me that I had unsubscribed from the list.

Well, wouldn’t you know it…about a week later, I get an email from this very same list that I had unsubscribed from. Now I know I executed the process correctly. I even got the email saying I was off the list. And yet, here I am…still on it. In other words, the opt out process either wasn’t working or, and this is the more likely scenario, was just a smoke screen to appease the FTC since you need to have an opt out link at the end of your email. Bottom line is this…I am still on that blasted list and will probably never get off of it.

If you use a reputable autoresponder service like Aweber or GetResponse, you will NOT have this problem. I personally use Aweber and have never had anybody complain that they couldn’t get off my list. Oddly, the list I was trying to get off of was for some autoresponder that I had never heard of. Dollars to donuts that it’s a shoddy in house script that doesn’t work. Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

So let me put this to you as plainly and as simply as I can. If you are building a list, do one of two things. Either use an autoresponder service that will handle the opting out process for you OR if you use your own in house script, make sure that you honor EVERY opt out request.

The marketer whose list I can’t get off of (no names will be mentioned) is one I used to have a lot of respect for…but no more. Now, according to law, this person is nothing more than a spammer as I am now receiving unsolicited email.

I don’t know how important YOUR reputation is to you, but if you value it at all…don’t do what this person did.

End of rant.

Take it for what it’s worth to you.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Tired of not getting your emails delivered, read or opened? Sick of not making any sales from your email marketing efforts? Visit my site at http://www.stevewagenheim.com/emailmarketing/index.html and get your hands on 5 years of my personal experience with email marketing…experience that has earned me tens of thousands of dollars yearly.