Greetings From the Spawn of Satan(?)

Ahhhh…

I see you’ve opened my email today.

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

You’ve fallen for my evil desperate ploy.

I can’t hide the truth any longer. Melissa, our twins, my mother, and my Magic 8 Ball …

…have encouraged me to get it out in the open.

So now is the time to come clean…

My Daddy’s the Devil. I’m Beelzebub, Jr.

I used to think I was a good man…

…making an honest living…

…delivering informative, entertaining content…

…to you and others…

…who chose to receive my emails and enjoy reading them.

But earlier this month, I learned…

I’ve been living a lie!

I’m like Kevin Lomax, the clueless schlub — played by Keanu Reeves — in The Devil’s Advocate. He doesn’t realize who he really is.

I learned the truth about me this month when a defender of mankind posted on LinkedIn:

“Do Marketers not realize a daily email will make me unsubscribe?…Honestly, flooding my inbox just makes me want to puke. It’s not just overwhelming; it feels desperate. Here’s a tip: Add value. Don’t try too hard. Let’s earn our audience’s attention instead of demanding it. Who’s with me on this?”

In case anyone missed the point, he included a big cartoon of a boy with a waterfall of green vomit pouring from his mouth.  

(Yuck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

That post unleashed the hounds, frothing at the mouth, ready to run down us devils.

One barked: “(Daily emailers) think that quantity will translate into quality, but that is not the case at all.”

Another howled: “I don’t need any more distraction that entrepreneurship already entails.”

And then this mic-drop moment from the angriest dog: “Marketers are the spawn of Satan!”

Not just daily email marketers. All marketers.

(I read that and cried myself to sleep )

But then…

I read this, from delighted subscriber Michael Whitehouse, who faced down the dogs:

If the emails contain valuable information then I’m happy to get them daily.

Jana Niksa, Tom Ruwitch, Ray Brehm and others have excellent daily email content that I’m always happy to see.

But the key term may be “email MARKETERS.” If they are writing from a place of selling and pitching, then I don’t want that once a week let alone once a day. Too many marketers are constantly trying to take and never seeking to give.

If you offer value, your audience can’t get enough of you. If you don’t, they can’t leave fast enough.

My reaction: “Oh no! Jana Niksa and Ray Brehm are the spawn of Satan, too?!?”

Ummm… wait… that’s not it.

Michael thinks I’m not the spawn of Satan. He’s thinks I’m A-OK.

I cried happy tears. It was like I woke from a long, horrible dream.

Good ol’ Michael Whitehouse exorcized my soul.

I realized:

I’m not an desperate, evil manipulator.

I’m a guy who wishes to inform and entertain you. And because I know how to do that consistently and confidently, I do every weekday.

The more I send: 1) the more value I deliver and 2) the more I sell.

The two go hand in hand.

That’s not desperate. That’s good business.

And, no(!), I don’t believe “quantity will translate into quality.” (Some do. Those are the pitchy, proddy pests we swat away.)

If you send garbage, more emails just means a bigger garbage dump.

But if you deliver quality content that helps your readers, they’ll welcome you into their inbox.

I help my clients. And every weekday, I write to help you, not distract you.

Every email I write contains valuable business lessons. Every email I write is designed to entertain you.

I share this story not to defend my faith.

I’m clear about who I am, what I do, and why I do it — despite the howling dogs who miscast me. No despair or desperation here.

I share this story for YOU. I share it to make clear…

…you are NOT the spawn of Satan.

All of us who run a business are marketers — or we should be if we wish to grow.

Marketing is about empathizing with those you wish to serve, envisioning their needs, and describing how your products and services can enable positive transformations for them.

That’s not a curse. That’s a gift.

If you listen to the frothing hounds and allow their howls to echo in your head, you’ll get stuck. You’ll see business building as the devil’s work. It’s not.

So have faith, dear marketers. Continue to serve your clients well. And continue to attract clients by delivering informative, entertaining content to establish relationships with them.

Promote your products and services with confidence, knowing those who buy from you will benefit from their choice.

Recognize the valuable content you share as a gift to your followers.

Sleep well, angels…