Questionable promotional tactics

**Spiralli** · 08-08-2008 12:38 PM

Got a flyer in the door today from a big web dev outfit blanket bombing the area. The gist of the message seemed to be that other web dev outfits are either a nerdy teen in his bedroom or a bunch of incompetents who will be out of business in a year or two. Theres an invitation to download a special report (€99.97 value apparently), which to my mind contained a lot of half truths and unsupported claims.

I've got no problem with somebody posting flyers and winning my customers on the strength of their abilities, but please don't try to build your business by insinuating that all your competitors are bad news.

Anybody else seen anything like this, or have thoughts on it?

**louie** · 08-08-2008 12:49 PM

Can you post the flyer.
Let us see this pro-service provider...

**Spiralli** · 08-08-2008 01:14 PM

I don't want to name and shame, which would happen if I posted the flyer. That would put me on the same level as the flyer pusher, and I'm not sure if it could cause trouble for the board owner. I'm just curious as to whether others have received it, or been subject to underhanded tactics.

The pamphlet opens with "A Warning to ALL Business Owners! Spend NO money on YOUR new website until you've read this special FREE report!" and continues with lots of bolds, caps, underlines and yellow highlighter. If it was promoting any other type of business I would have binned it after scanning the first para.

**blacknight** · 08-08-2008 01:20 PM

Ah come on! Who was it?

**louie** · 08-08-2008 01:20 PM

That sounds to me like a desperate entrepreneur...

**Spiralli** · 08-08-2008 01:24 PM

*cough* Dragnet Systems - Web Design, Maintenance and Hosting. Kinsale, Co. Cork Ireland. *cough*

**KevinG** · 08-08-2008 01:27 PM

While this type promotional method might be rather annoying, I think that most sensible business people will see right through it, I don't think that they're going to automatically believe what it says in what sounds like a very sensationalist flyer - so although annoying, its probably not much of a threat to other web designers; just ignore it!