Ethics 101: Do the Right Thing, Please

Whose Interest Comes First? ... Last week's Dispatch, Partnering for the Common Good, caused one subscriber to raise an interesting ethical issue.  When a company invests in a new technology service, is it fair to link an employee's compensation to the use of this service?  Hmm.  Good question.   As companies seek greater efficiencies and develop closer ties to vendors of, say, e-procurement services, lease administration systems or transaction managers, there's a natural tendency to encourage employees to promote the preferred provider.  So who's to say what's the best service for a client? 

E-mail Spam... And speaking about ethics, where do you draw the line between spam (unsolicited, irrelevant e-mail) and legitimate e-mail marketing?  Sure, in an ideal world, all e-mail marketing would be opt-in and permission-based -- meaning that you've specifically requested e-mail.  But the bloody reality is that, EXCEPT for the PikeNet Dispatch, I don't know of another large opt-in real estate e-newsletter.  Most mass real estate mailings seem to be "opt-out" lists.  This means that your e-mail address has been involuntarily added to a list and that you will continue to receive e-mail regularly until you "opt out."    

OK, in the real world, you may decide to use e-mail as part of a marketing program.  So here are my guidelines for e-mail marketing:  Don't send unsolicited e-mail to the same address more than once every six months.   Do include your complete name, address and contact phone information.  Never send attachments as part of unsolicited e-mail.  Finally, do include clear directions for not receiving future e-mail solicitations.  Your clients and potential clients will appreciate your courtesy! 

--Peter Pike / ppike@pikenet.com