I use autoresponders in my business. In fact, my mailing list management system is busy sending out emails every day to thousands of subscribers in a couple dozen different email lists.
So, it’s not autoresponders in general that bother me. It’s just yours.
Bother #1: I don’t like that when I send you email that was likely a reply to an email you sent ME, your autoresponder automatically tells me that I will have to wait a certain amount of time to hear back from you. Now, if you’re someone I communicate with on a regular basis, and you’re going on vacation or are sick or just had a baby, this might be helpful. But most of the time, it’s just annoying.
Firstly, it’s probably not honest. It may take you a couple of days to get back with me, but it may take you an hour. Or it might take you a week. So if your autoresponder says:
Thank you for contacting (removed to protect the innocent). We will get back with you as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours.
Then I find that irritating. I don’t want to have to delete an extra email.
And, as a frequent internet user who makes her living from her computer, I use email often enough. But I would never promise anyone that I would get back with them that soon. I also have a life, and if your message to me was very important, you would pick up the phone and call me.
And if your autoresponder tells me how busy you are with your life and that it will take you a few days to get back to me, that’s irritating too, because we’re all busy. Your autoresponder is one-upping me with this busy-ness. And besides, you were the one who contacted ME about being a guest on my show/advertising on my site/publishing your article/joining your affiliate program, remember?
Those are harmless enough. What’s really irritating is this:
Bother #2: Autoresponder emails that I get after I send out my newsletter to you. The ones that invite me to look at your amazing business opportunity.
I want to say,
Do I know you? And exactly when did I opt in to your email list?
This is a bad way to try to recruit me. In order to get my newsletter, you had to go through a double opt in process. You had to input your name and email address and then check your email and click on a link to accept. See – I like to keep things legal around here. I don’t send unsolicited email. We call that SPAM around here.
And, as far as your MLM goes. I have been there, done that, got the T shirt and the closet full of soap. So don’t bother. And I don’t need your “opportunity” when I’m successful with my own business.
Let me ask you, is your autoresponder hurting or helping your business?