This afternoon I received an email asking me whether it made sense for me to be in a company's database. The message went like this:
Hi Francois -
We've actually been in contact with you before.The reason for my email is to determine if it makes sense, based on your needs and interest, to keep you in our database...?
To refresh your memory, we're a leading rapid prototyping service, specializing in SLA, cast urethanes, CNC, SLS, FDM, and bridge tooling.
Let me know when you get a chance.
Thanks,Doug
Now being a marketing innovation consultant I do not have a ton of need for cast urethanes and bridge tools, so I replied to Doug by telling him:
I don't think that makes sense...thanks for asking.
Within 5 minutes I get another message from Doug, who I had mistaken for a responsible sales guy:
Listen Francois....the world is on the verge of economic collapse. Corruption is running rampant. People are getting laid off left and right, companies are running out of money. This is not the time to not be prototyping. If you don't want your company to go out of business and to remain economically solvent, I strongly suggest you reconsider what it is you're proposing here.
OMG! I will die and linger in hell forever for not considering the purchase of CNC, SLS, FDM and SLA...(whatever that is)
On the one hand this is hilarious, on the other hand it is really sad that some companies will allow this type of behavior to take place. In this case the company was Laser Reproductions out of Ohio.
It'd be interesting to see if they have automated attack bots that will now bring down my site for mentioning them in public
But somehow I am convinced that nobody is listening over there...
[update] I sent another email to Doug saying:
Doug,
I shared your advice with all my friends:
http://www.emergencemarketing.com/2008/12/11/this-is-a-great-way-to-piss-off-prospects/Francois
[update 2] And I got an answer from Doug saying:
Too funny that you would have gone to this. Sorry to have caught you on a bad day Francois!
Merry Christmas!
This is too funny
[update 3] Doug commented on my blog. Way to go Doug! Nice recovery...thanks for cheering up our day. maybe I'll take an SLA with that champagne
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