On July 1st, Canada’s Anti-Spam Law [CASL] came into effect. You now have a simple choice: obey the law by emailing only those folks who’ve given you permission; OR face fines of $1m-$10m for every time you fail to do so.
Some have decried the law. Some see it as sales inhibiting and innovation stifling. Others have complained of its unintended consequences on small and medium sized businesses.
I disagree. To me, the new law is a welcome reprieve from annoying interruptions to the workday. It seems a lot of other folks feel the same way. By day three, there’d been over 1000 filed complaints on breaches of the law.
What the law requires is that we stop harassing folks with unwanted emails. That we re-think how we invite strangers to converse with us. That we start to do so more politely. By thinking about list building, and email-aided selling, from a perspective of ‘what’s in it for them’ as opposed to ‘what’s in it for me’.
The irony in all this? In B2B sales, selective, permission-based, buyer-focused uses of email actually work. They get buyers to engage in conversations. Why? Buyers see the value in having such conversations. For themselves.
So the law’s a winner for everyone. Canadian legislators get what they’re after: a victory over bad practices [and their constituents' support for having done something about it]. Buyers get fewer interruptions. Sellers win more conversations with interested buyers.
Look for two main impacts: less spam in Canadian inboxes; and better buyer experiences outside of email that enable more successful sales practices within email.
