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Is it me, or is this year what I would call the “Year of Frantic Free Stuff?”

I have been bombarded by a plethora of Internet Marketers giving way more free stuff than I even have time to download, let along read or listen to later.

Yes, I did start off thinking that this information would be interesting, might help me plan 2008, and would also introduce me to some new gurus and worthwhile e-newsletters. Because I send out two of my own e-newsletters, I am always scoping out others for comparison.

Frankly, I have discovered that the great majority of the “gifts and presents” were obviously given only to get e-mail addresses, so that the giver could keep reminding me - almost daily for a number of them - that they have great products to sell “at a discount, if you act within 24 hours. Also, these products will make me wealthy in a couple of weeks.

Now, I don’t want to seem ungrateful and I won’t knock anyone who is working hard at making a living, but I do wonder if others are getting as sick of the e-mails as I am.

Even though I did take advantage of not even half of the presents offered, and even though I will admit that possibly three of the e-newsletters and courses that accompanied them have been well done and have offered some good nuggets of wisdom, I am already tired of the frantic overload.

Am I jaded, cheap (if I had followed through on 10% of the discounted offers, I would be broke for sure), or just too busy with my own projects to appreciate the gifts?

What about you? Have you benefited from all of the free and discounted stuff, or do you wonder if the generous marketers are in panic mode themselves? Or, are they really making money?

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The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself. Peter Drucker, American businessman

Programmers and marketing people know how to get into your subconscious - they spend millions of dollars researching colors, shapes, designs, symbols, that affect your preferences, and they can make you feel warm, trusting, like buying. They can manipulate you. Richard Hatch, American actor

Are Drucker and Hatch proposing the same marketing strategy? Similar, yes, in that they both propose understanding and knowing the customer. Or do they? I feel that Drucker is suggesting forming a relationship – which I agree with. Whereas, Hatch is talking manipulation – which a lot of marketers

propose.

What do you think? I would love to read your feedback.

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