Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to business-to-business, high-tech, Internet, and direct marketing.

***Beware of purchased e-mail lists***

If you get an offer in your e-mail to purchase an e-mail marketing list for your next campaign, run, don't walk.

It is rarely a good idea to send e-mail marketing messages to purchased lists. You should only e-mail to legitimate opt-in e-lists, meaning the people on the list have subscribed and
agreed to receive e-mail messages. And virtually 100% of the time, opt-in e-lists are offered to marketers for rental only, not purchase.

What's the worst that could happen if you purchase an e-list?

When you send a campaign to e-mail addresses that either don't exist, or when a large percentage of recipients report your e-mail as spam -- because they have not opted in to get it -- you could lose access to your domain and your ISP could close your account.

Bottom line: stick to lists that were generated using proper permission-based sign-ups and rented from a real list broker.

You can find list brokers under the Mailing List category on my site's vendor page:

www.bly.com/newsite/Pages/vendors.php#MAILINGLISTS

Source: "20 Obvious and Not So Obvious E-Mail Marketing Mistakes to Avoid," Pinpoint.

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***Stop making excuses***

One of my favorite quotations is from Ben Franklin, who said:

"People who are good at making excuses are seldom good at anything else."

Now business strategist Dan Waldschmidt offers these 6 tricks to help you stop making excuses and forge a path to your goals:

1--Avoid the need to blame others for anything. Mean, small-minded people know that they suck. That's why they are so cranky and eager to point out others' mistakes.

2--Stop working on things that just don't matter. Replace trivial pursuits with activity toward your goal.

3--Refuse to wallow in self-doubt. You're alive to succeed. Stop comparing your current problems to your last 18 failures. They are not the same.

4--Ask yourself, "What can I do better next time?" And then do it next time.

5--Proactively take time to do things that fuel your passion.

6--Apologize to yourself and those around you for having a bad attitude. When you start genuinely apologizing for being a bad influence on those around you, you learn to stop whining and start winning.

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This post appears courtesy of Bob Bly's Direct Response Letter. Bob Bly is the author of 70+ books and the man McGraw-Hill calls America's top copywriter.