3 mistakes Sometimes business owners aren’t able to see when they’re doing things the wrong way. Let’s call these business blunders. You know it when it happens to you, but you might not recognize when you do it to others. And there are some important things that people do all the time (that you should avoid doing).

Carol’s recent post on MasterCardBiz.com is titled “3 Blunders That Drive Prospects Away.” Carol begins:

“As a small business owner, you need to get the word out about your product or service. You need to pick and choose the marketing tactics that make sense for your business, honing in on the ones that your prospects will actually see.

There are so many ways to market your business: some great, some not so great. But here are three blunders that you can—and should—easily avoid:

1. Adding people to your newsletter list without their permission.

How many times have you heard “the money is in the list”? This is true for many businesses. But, like most things, there is a right way and a wrong way to grow your list.

When I was launching my book The Entrepreneur Equation, I spoke all over the country. When people gave me their business cards, I asked them if they would like to be added to my newsletter list. The majority of them said yes and then, I would note that on the business card. My list grew quickly with people who actually wanted to be on it.

Please do not add random people or contacts to your list. When you receive newsletters or offers from people or companies that you barely know, do you like it? I doubt it.”

You can read the rest of the post here.