Are all traffic and list building sites scams?

[donprofit]

I'm trying to build an email list and every offering I check out, whether it be free or they charge, seems to be a scam. I don't mind paying for whatever I get but it's not happening.
Please don't answer this if you are just promoting another unbelievable claim. I'd like to hear from ordinary people having any amount of success with a list or traffic building method.
I'd appreciate any help I can get on this.
Thank you,
Donprofit don@profitinforeclosures.com

[Vasili]

Re: Are all traffic and list building sites scams?

There are no shortcuts to success using email or the internet.......the only means to shorten the process is by participating in verified options offered by legitimate sources.

There are those businesses that offer email lists for a fee and have so many choices available for you to specify the geographic location, the incomes, the industry, which credit cards they hold, etc. that they boggle the mind! But, as you might guess, these services do not come cheap, nor are they allowed beyond set use periods. (Look to "American Business Lists" and "National Contacts" as examples of credible sources)

Your assumtion that most of the "freebie" or "almost free" sources you have encountered are in fact ruses to scour your email address to add to their list that they use to spam on behalf of their customers....and those that are seemingly not doing just that are usually full of 'dead' addresses or completely ineffective for your practical use.

To give you and idea of how I have collected more than 250,000 valid/current email addresses to use in my promotions and still be in compliance with both the Patriot and CANN Acts, it is from ongoing efforts to participate in trade shows, run my own online contests, offer newsletter subscriptions, from the POS entry in my showroom customer profiles, etc. Basically, from any permission-based source I have installed in my larger business operations.

You might also get a jump-start by joining a couple professional associations or organizations and taking the directory entries for all members and adding them to an Outlook or ACT contact distribution list file....this is a great way to not only add bulk to your distribution, but it will allow you to have an organized and targeted market also.

* Don't forget to plan your sending methods properly: does your outgoing ISP/server have pre-set limitations on use (bandwidth, or units sent per hour); be sure to include the opt-in/opt-out methodology that is required; are you sending to a community that has Certified Email protocols in place, which would require you to send via a proxy like GoodMail.com to assure deliverability? (AOL, Google, and Yahoo each have protected communities).....and more such logistical issues to address before you forge ahead with your email campaigns.

You can always touch base with me here in VT for more specifics, when you get there!