I wrote about spam emails a few years ago, but after seeing a thread on LinkedIn the other day, it occurs to me that this is still a very relevant, and touchy, subject.

For context, this photo sparked 970 comments.

On one side, sales and marketing professionals, respond to feelings of being attacked, both professionally and personally.

On the other side, the folks on the receiving end of the unsolicited (and often unwanted) emails. 

I’m sure everyone has been on the receiving end of an unsolicited email, destined at trying to sell them something. Yes, this may only be a minor inconvenience, but it speaks to a larger problem. There’s a disconnect between sales teams’ practices and what clients want.

There’s also a fair amount of disagreement over who, exactly, is to blame.

Are the prospects to blame, for not opening or responding to unwanted emails?

And while we’re talking about disconnects, it could be helpful for folks on the prospect end to know more about how sales funnels work.

Maybe there are ways to teach sales teams?

So how can we move forward, collectively? That may be the million-dollar question. But it’s going to start with due diligence, research, and patience.

Ultimately, sales folks must adapt by showing genuine interest in the people they’re reaching out to.
They have to become content marketers who wish to educate first, earning the right to a conversation.