Spam is a way of thinking Feb 15 2010
5 comments Latest by Greg P
REWORK Q&A with Jason at 800 CEO READ.com. Questions include: What are some of the ways that “big” can work against a company and their ideas? How and when does productivity best happen? And this one:
How is spam more than just an email issue?
Spam is a way of thinking. It’s an impersonal, imprecise, inexact approach. You’re merely throwing something against the wall to see if it sticks. You’re harassing thousands of people hoping that a couple will respond.
Press releases are spam. Each one is a generic pitch for coverage sent out to hundreds of journalists you don’t know hoping that one will write about you.
Resumés are spam when someone shotguns out hundreds at a time to potential employers. They don’t care about landing your job, they just care about landing any job.
Spam is basically a half-ass way of getting someone’s attention. It’s insulting, really.
A much better route: Be personal. Call someone. Or write a note. If you read a story about a similar company or product, contact the journalist who wrote it and pitch them with some passion. If you want a job, write an amazing cover letter that explains why you’d love to work there.
Don’t rely on the shotgun approach of spam though. If you invest nothing in your interactions, you probably won’t get much back.
Also, kind words from 800 CEO Read’s Jon Mueller about the book:
This isn’t just a book about changing your business, it’s about changing how you think about business, and is, perhaps, one of the most important books you’ll read this year.
Pre-order REWORK. (In stores March 9, 2010.)
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5 comments so far
Lars 16 Feb 10
Exactly. Great post! Spam is if you’re trying to interact with someone without any context.
Tony 16 Feb 10
What he describes is what’s called media relations, and it’s long been the only way to connect with journalists. Press releases put a check in the box for clients and provide some google hits, but media relations gets stories written.
Vijay Rayapati 18 Feb 10
Great post, message has more meaning when it is personal and context based!
Ian 19 Feb 10
@Jason – Not sure you addressed this in the book, but the big companies always seem to have the incentives in the wrong place, which leads to back stabbing and red tape. I think John Wooden sums it up best:
“It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.”
Greg P 21 Feb 10
Let’s face it. Most of the interactions we have all day are spam. So what we all face is a situation where we must constantly find ways to reduce this spam. Try not smiling. Don’t respond when people address you. If you interact with others, give them a business card with bogus information. Never respond to anything, even if it’s a message from your mother wanting to know if you’re still alive. Mothers are full of spam—where’s the evidence that she really cares?
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