Love Is Controversial

Posted by admin on January 25, 2011

We’re rapidly approaching the Valentine’s Day time frame and I’m in a bit of a quandry. Every year I go through this. Do I or don’t I? You see, I don’t send holiday cards to my clients. I figure people get so many of them that any message I send would get lost in the mix. Instead, I send a Valentine’s Day greeting. I mean, how great is it to get a Valentine when you’re not getting any – even if it is from a business contact? And each year I get about a dozen people responding with how much they loved my note and really love and appreciate me as well. But each year, I also get a bunch of people who unsubscribe from my newsletter. And occasionally, those unsubscribes come with a nasty note attached.

How Can You Love Me?
The first year I sent out these Valentines, I sent one that said that I wanted to tell people how much I loved and appreciated them and how I really valued them as clients and readers. I got positive and negative responses. What were the negative ones you ask? Well, they said “how can you possibly say you love me, you don’t even know me”. Which was true for my newsletter subscribers, but what is the problem with saying “I love you?” I mean, really.

So the next year, I decided to be a little different. I wrote:

“Did you know that the Ancient Greeks had three words for love?

Eros – romantic love
Filios – the love of a family member
Agape – universal love of your fellow man

In the spirit of agape, I’d like to tell you how much I love you and really appreciate you taking the time to read my newsletter and participate in my world.”

Pretty clear, right? Wrong. I got the same number of positive responses and the same number of unsubscribes, only this time, one woman called me a whore. Really? A whore? For what? Expressing universal love for my fellow wo/man?

Cleaning My List
So I’m telling myself as I prep for this year’s note, that this is a good thing. I don’t really want to be doing business with people who would call someone a whore for simply making an honest statement of love. But I’m also steeling myself. Who knows what will come flying at me this time. But this warrior for love is going to do battle again. Wish me luck.

Last modified on January 25, 2011

Categories: Making a Name for Yourself (Marketing and Promotion)
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