I would say there’s a strong future outlook for a niche-oriented ESPs. Better than a one-size-fits-all mentality or a “how big is your list?” mentality? Wouldn’t you agree?

Is the future of the ESP business one where ESPs themselves become “Vertically” oriented, rather than trying to be all things to all marketers by pushing out a few “vertical toolkits”?

You’re right Scott — the big players in the industry are oriented twds Retail cause that’s where the magic is … But I definitely think you’re onto something here…

My contention is that the less agencies try to sell their wares (at least obviously), the more business they will get. In this new society, everyone wants something for free, and they don’t want to be badgered into signing up for something when all they want is the data.

It’s a tough world. Just trying to be provocative enough to stir the pot and get people thinking.

I work for a non-profit, after all. Don’t have the budget to be an easy client

Some “inside baseball” — the free white papers and webinars that ESPs provide are primarily designed for lead generation purposes. Secondary purpose is to make existing clients feel like they are getting “value add” from their provider, even though the provider will gladly share the same white paper with a prospect who is using another ESPs services.

You will get a few pearls of wisdom from these “thought leadership” programs, but, keeping in mind that they are really sales tools, of course the focus will be on segments that provide the most bang for the buck to the ESP — these tend to be Retail, Travel, Publishing and Credit Card mailers, who send the highest volumes…

Most ESPs today have Strategic Services/Consulting practices — many of them are truly excellent and am happy to offer recommendations privately… These folks will produce educational materials tailored to your industry and most importantly, designed to address the specific needs of your email program… But, of course, you’ll have to ask WGU to pony up an extra 25 – 100K or so depending on the scope of the project.

That is what I am certainly trying to do. I agree, it is tough as a Sales rep to know what questions to ask, luckily I did have an “in” before I got really involved, so I know I am in an advantageous position.

Anyone who is not in email or is looking to email is just going to be bombarded with information, and they do not know how to sift through the crap and what is worthwhile information, and watching a webinar is dry and impersonal. Reading any information regarding email is difficult, I find it hard as a passionate follower of email marketing to find readable material that keeps me interested throughout the entire length. So I think getting on the phone and talking to someone is the BEST THING. As previous comments have said, I think it is a crap shoot if you are going to get someone who is not only knowledgeable about their program, but also in email marketing because they are going to have to explain it to be people in layman’s terms especially when they ask “What do you want to accomplish when using our service?”, and then translate email terms to them so that they understand and can make a semi-educated decision on how they can proceed.

I think there is a separation between sales/retail and for those who are not specifically looking for that, and the sales rep needs to meet that customer more than halfway because the customer is a “newbie”(I do hate using that term haha).

Like you said education=sales

Education has to come first, and I’m glad to see you agree with that.

Email marketing is a tough, tough discipline. Speaking from a client perspective, email is a portion of my job. It’s not my entire job. I write for almost every medium at least on a weekly basis. And I know I’m not alone.

The reason I wrote this post is that for anyone that’s a seeker of information (like me) but does not work in a retail environment, the ESP approach to education and sales doesn’t necessarily mesh well with the needs of the “outsiders.” Some ESPs do it better than others (of course). But I find it difficult to sit through webinars and sift through whitepapers and find anything that’s useful other than some design and deliverability best practices.

As a client, I fully expect a sales rep to come into a presentation and first question be: “How do you use email now?” Second question: “How do you want to use email in the future?” Third question: “Where does email fit in with everything else that you’re doing in terms of marketing and sales?” Then: “Based on what you’ve told me, here’s an idea for what might be a good solution.” (And by the way, as you noted Jordan, it may not be YOUR solution–but I can guarantee you if someone asks that U-M rep about email, he/she will recommend talking to you first.)

Does it happen? Not yet in my experience (limited as it may be). Should it happen? A heck of a lot more often.

Jordan, I hope you take the lead and start preaching the “Education = Sales” model.