What do you make of this?
By Michael StelznerMany of you know, I’m the editor of the WhitePaperSource Newsletter.
I got a message today from one of our subscribers, in response to an update I sent out.
Here it is:
Thank you for your mail, but I am very busy right now, please give me an answer in one sentence, can you offer to me White Paper Xero, 80grams A3 and A4 in a good price. If yes, please send me pictures, price and specifications of this product.
This particular person has been reading the newsletter for years.
How would you respond?
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August 20th, 2007 at 5:41 am
After I did a post about white papers, I got an email sort of like this.
I replied and said I’d beat any price they got on any paper, IF they’d pay in cash and in advance.
Never heard back from them. Too bad, I coulda used the cash.
August 20th, 2007 at 6:33 am
Hey Mike;
What shocks me is this guy has been reading my stuff for like 2 years.
Hey, when you posted your comment, did you get an error message?
Mike
August 20th, 2007 at 6:40 am
I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that that was a joke.
I mean, really. They need pictures of paper?
“Hey look! It’s white… and rectangular!”
August 20th, 2007 at 6:44 am
Will - This I can say. This person is not from America, nor from a place where English is the country’s primary language. I think it is not a joke. But good point on the picture!! - Mike
August 20th, 2007 at 9:03 am
Mike,
While they may have been receiving your newsletter for years, it’s obvious that they weren’t reading it!
August 20th, 2007 at 9:57 am
Jonathan;
The sad thing is I can see if people read the newsletter and this guy did.
He would read it many times and click on different links.
Mike
August 20th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Should one cry or laugh? I don’t think he actually read your newsletter and most likely not your book, it’s a shame…
August 20th, 2007 at 11:52 am
* Sorry I missed the comment where you said he did actually read your stuff. Now… I’m just confused.
August 20th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Maybe he’s just looking to be featured as a post on your blog?
August 20th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
No Mike, I didn’t get an error message.
August 20th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
You do get some interesting emails Michael. I agree with you that it wasn’t written by someone who uses English as a primary language.
Is the writer seeking a sample so they can see if they want it? You might try sending a table of contents? Just guessing. But you do need more information to figure out what they need if you think it’s worth the effort.
August 21st, 2007 at 7:46 am
I think this is a joke or an insult!
Sorry Mike!
August 21st, 2007 at 10:34 am
My feeling is that this is, sadly, probably real. Maybe you should send her a link to Staples or Office Depot, or even better, give her a “fair” quote and see how she responds. There’s always money in ignorance. And you could do this with a clear conscious (sp?) because she has supposedly been reading the blog.
This is exactly the kind of thing that waters down the gene pool.
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Mike,
Andy Wibbels griped about this sort of email and proposed a freak filter (http://andywibbels.com/post/1561). There are some humorous tips in the string of comments that follows.
But I guess it would be bad form to imply that a loyal subscriber is a freak!
More likely, this is a classic case of list fatigue, where an ESL subscriber has tired of reading (or never did read) the newsletter and thinks it’s easier to delete the emails than to unsubscribe and risk getting spammed.
Cathy
August 24th, 2007 at 8:28 am
GRIN! I’ll take the contrarian point of view and say that this is a great example of crisp communication and not being afraid to ask for what you want! OK…
The contrarian point of view might be a bit far-fetched, but you can’t fault me for trying!
August 24th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Hey Everyone;
Thanks for your comments on this!
Brent, you are right about the message being crisp.
Not sure any real communicating is going on here. Maybe just one way…
Mike
August 28th, 2007 at 8:22 am
Mike, Don’t feed into stupidity. the more attention you give it, the more it will downgrade the whole process. You might tell this person how their demand has affected you and that under the circumstances, such a poorly composed request does not meet the requirements of your business model and then just write them off. No amount of money is worth prostituting yourself to the ignorance of uneducated people. Standards of diplomacy should be upheld.
How much do you value your self esteem?