Clearly Confusing...

You never know until you ask!

As part of my ongoing search for new ideas and new revenue streams for Mobile Advertising...and for my own company, SellPhone Marketing...I posted a question on LinkedIn. I simply asked for suggestions on how people in different industries thought they might be able to use Text Message Marketing. My intent was to find some cool new ways to introduce Mobile to businesses I hadn't thought much about yet. What I got was an education.

At first I was offended by the person who sent a scathing response, basically saying how offended he was that yet another part of our lives was being taken over, abused, and ultimately destroyed by marketers insistent upon slapping a logo on every square inch of the globe. I couldn't understand why HE couldn't understand the concept of opt-in marketing...why we was so upset about something that he could control by simply electing NOT to participate. I took exception to the language he used. And, though I'm not proud to admit it, I responded to him in a less-than-professional email.

Then came the next response. And another. And another.

I got a few responses to the question I asked, although none of them answered the actual question I'd typed. Nobody had even one suggestion for new revenue streams in uncharted industries. And yet, I feel I've learned a lot from this experience.

I've learned to ask questions.

Even when I THINK I know the answers, I have to ask questions.

Sure, the Mobile Marketing Association has some great Best Practices in place. And it feels good to know that I'm insisting on following those and not spamming consumers. I take pride in knowing that I will never sell a list of names or cel l phone numbers. But that's not enough. My prospects need to know it as well. That's not something I've been focusing on in my sales presentations...but it will be now!

My takeaway...and one I hope you'll take away from this as well...is to ask more questions. You may just find something you weren't looking for!