Internet marketing / SEO company - why I avoid them

Internet marketing companies, you can't help but wonder if they get their consultants from the same place double glazing companies do.  As soon as you get a website up and running they're hounding you with promises and lies in equal measure.

I had a run in recently with a certain Internet marketing company which I won't name and shame for obvious reasons, but needless to say I found their attitude quite distasteful and I didn't take up any of the services they offered.

I was approached through email and had a followup phone call with this company.  To be honest I should have been suspicious when I noticed the Google trademark plastered next to theirs on the email (Do Google allow this?).  Anyway, my gripe isn't with the services they offer.  I can sign up to Google AdWords myself for some advertising and that's basically what they were offering.

My point is, the fellow who contacted me was just a little bit too pushy.  These sales guys always want an instant decision and I was not about to go down that road so I stalled my decision for a few days.  I calmly explained that I don't do business that way and that I wanted to take on board some professional advice before making a decision.  I spoke to a friend who explained how things work and I made my mind up.

When the marketing "salesman" called back the next week, I explained that basically I had been told their way of doing things wasn't for me and had been advised not to proceed even though he supposedly held the offer open especially for me after talking to his supervisor.  I thanked him for the offer but said I wanted to politely decline and that I had to go as I was talking to him during work time.

He started ranting his SEO, marketing sales patter again even though I had said NO a few times so I ended up hanging up on him.  He then tried to call me back on my mobile twice in quick succession, so I just rejected the call each time.  As if that wasn't enough I came home to the following answer phone message.

"Hallo Chris,

Without being rude, I thought I'd thank you for um... wasting my time.

I held allocations for you for a full week and now you say that um... Google does not work!

So you obviously know more than me, as a marketing expert and you think that Google does not work.  Um, you keep doing what you're doing there Chris...  live in your little small world of you know, Yell.com.

You know but thanks for wasting my time!"

Not very pleasant is it?  So it would seem that some employees just can't handle rejection or don't know how to take NO for an answer!  I believe that I had been very tactful and quite within my rights to consider a service offer before signing up.

By: Chris