Learn how to market your products professionally while staying 100% legal and maintaining trust with your audience. This guide covers spam laws, permission-based marketing, and the difference between warm and cold contacts.

Essential knowledge that protects your reputation and keeps your emails in the inbox.

🎥 Video Walkthrough (18 minutes)

Watch this comprehensive guide to ethical marketing and legal compliance:

Prefer to read? Keep scrolling for the written guide with quick-reference sections.

Why This Matters for Your Business

Your reputation is your most valuable business asset - more important than your products, your upline, or even your contact list. Here's why ethical marketing isn't just the right thing to do, it's essential for business success:

Protect Your Email Deliverability: 90% of all email is spam, and email providers like Gmail have "declared all-out war on spammers." One wrong move and your emails go straight to spam folders forever.

Build Long-Term Trust: People buy from people they trust. Aggressive or spammy tactics might get short-term results, but they destroy relationships and hurt your long-term business.

Stay Legally Compliant: The CAN-SPAM Act and similar laws worldwide carry serious penalties. Following these guidelines keeps you on the right side of the law.

Create Sustainable Growth: Permission-based marketing builds a database of people who actually want to hear from you, leading to better engagement and higher sales.

The Golden Rule of Marketing

Before sending any message, ask yourself: "If I received this email/text, how would I feel about it?"

We've all been on mailing lists that bombard us with unwanted messages. We've all gotten those robocalls about extended car warranties. Don't be that person. Professional assertiveness is good - being pushy or spammy destroys relationships.

Understanding Warm vs. Cold Markets

🥰 Warm Market (Green Light for Most Communication)

Who they are: People who already know you and have given permission to contact them

• Friends and family

• Existing customers

• People who've opted into your list

• New team members

• Referrals from people you know

What you can do:

• Personal emails and texts

• Broadcast emails (if on pro plan)

• Phone calls

• Automated follow-up sequences

🥶 Cold Market (Proceed with Caution)

Who they are: People who don't personally know you yet

• Purchased leads from vendors

• People from lead generation companies

• Social media contacts you've never actually talked to

• Anyone who hasn't specifically opted into your marketing

What you CAN do:

• One-on-one personal emails (not bulk/broadcast)

• Individual phone calls

• Database reactivation campaigns (getting permission first)

What you CAN'T do:

• Bulk email blasts without permission

• Add them to automated sequences without consent

• Mass text messaging

Legal Requirements: CAN-SPAM Act Basics

The CAN-SPAM Act (and similar laws worldwide) requires:

1. Honest Header Information

• Use your real name in the "From" field

• Don't pretend to be someone else

• Be transparent about who's sending the email

2. Truthful Subject Lines

• Subject line must match the email content

• Don't use misleading subjects to get opens

• Be clear about what the email contains

3. Identify Advertisements

• If you're selling something, make it clear it's an ad

• "Thank you for signing up" emails are usually not ads

• "Buy one, get one free" emails clearly are ads

4. Include Your Physical Address

• Required for all bulk/broadcast emails

• Can be your home or business address

• Post office box is acceptable

5. Provide Easy Unsubscribe

• Must include unsubscribe link in every broadcast email

• Must honor unsubscribe requests within 10 business days

• Can't make it hard to unsubscribe

6. Monitor What Others Do on Your Behalf

• If you hire someone to send emails for you, you're responsible for their compliance

• Can't blame a marketing company if they send spam with your name on it

Database Reactivation: Getting Permission from Cold Leads

When you have cold leads, your goal is to get their permission to market to them. Here's how:

Day 1 Approach

Call script: "Hey Johnny, this is [Your Name]. You recently expressed interest in [business/working from home]. I'm calling to see if you found what you're looking for. I'll be in and out today - you can call me back or I'll try to reach you again. My number is [your number]."

Follow-up text: "Hey Johnny, are you still looking for a business opportunity? I received the form you filled out and wanted to see if this is something you're still interested in. Let me know!"

Day 2-3 Approach

"Hey Johnny, this week I'm doing something special for some friends - giving them a behind-the-scenes look at how we work online, find leads, and get paid. Would you like to check it out?"

Key point: You're asking permission, not just sending them stuff.

Social Media Guidelines

Social media friends can be either warm or cold market:

Warm Market Social Friends

• People you asked to connect with who said yes

• People you've actually talked to before

• Can message through the platform where you connected (Facebook Messenger, Instagram DM, etc.)

Cold Market Social Friends

• Random people in Facebook groups

• People you've never actually interacted with

• Avoid mass messaging these people

Best practice: Stick with the medium where you know them. If you met on Facebook, communicate through Facebook first. Ask for their email/phone number if the conversation goes well.

How Pipeline Funnels Helps You Stay Compliant

Pipeline Funnels makes ethical marketing easier:

Pre-written Campaigns: All email and text sequences are professionally written and compliant with regulations

Automatic Compliance Features:

• Built-in unsubscribe links on broadcast emails

• Required address fields included automatically

• Proper email headers and routing handled for you

DND (Do Not Disturb) Feature: When someone asks to be removed, click the DND button and the system prevents you from accidentally messaging them again

Reply Management: All replies stay in the system so you can track conversations and permissions

Best Practices for Long-Term Success

The 80/20 Rule

• 80% of your emails should provide value (content, tips, stories)

• Only 20% should directly ask for a sale

• Example: Send 4 helpful emails, then 1 sales email

Engagement Matters

Email providers track:

• Whether people open your emails

• How long they keep them open

• If they reply or delete immediately

• If they mark you as spam

Quality Over Quantity

• Better to have 100 engaged subscribers than 1,000 uninterested ones

• Focus on people who genuinely want what you're offering

• Remove unengaged contacts regularly

Avoid Trigger Words

Words that often trigger spam filters:

• "FREE" (especially in all caps)

• "Urgent"

• "Limited time"

• "Special offer"

The Inviting Formula: Your Safe Framework

Follow Tim Sales' proven formula in order:

1. GREET - Start with a genuine greeting

2. QUALIFY - Ask questions to understand their needs

3. INVITE - Only then invite them to look at your opportunity

This order matters. Don't skip straight to the invitation - build the relationship first.

When Persistence is Polite

Marketing expert Jay Abraham says: "If you have a product that can legitimately help someone's life get better, and you know they need it, you have a moral obligation to not let them off the hook before they fully understand what you have to offer."

The key: Persistence is polite when you have their permission and you're genuinely trying to help them solve a problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I email people from my phone contacts?

Yes, if they're genuinely people you know (friends, family, past business contacts). Avoid bulk emailing your entire contact list - focus on people who would actually be interested in what you're offering.

What about Facebook friends - can I message them about business?

If you actually know them and have talked before, yes - but message them through Facebook first. Don't immediately ask for their email to add them to your marketing list. Build the relationship first.

I bought leads from a company - are they warm or cold market?

Cold market. Even though they opted in somewhere, they don't know YOU yet. Use one-on-one communication and database reactivation techniques to get their permission to market to them.

What if someone asks me to stop emailing them?

Honor their request immediately. Use the DND (Do Not Disturb) feature in Pipeline Funnels to make sure you don't accidentally message them again. This is required by law and good for your reputation.

Can I add people to automated sequences right away?

Only if they're warm market (already know you and gave permission). For cold market leads, get their permission first through personal communication before adding them to any automated campaigns.

What's the difference between personal emails and broadcast emails?

Personal emails are one-on-one messages (like replying to someone individually). Broadcast emails go out to many people at once and have stricter legal requirements (unsubscribe links, physical address, etc.).

How do I know if my reputation is being damaged?

Watch your open rates, reply rates, and whether emails are going to spam folders. If engagement drops significantly or people start marking you as spam, it's time to review your practices and clean up your list.

Questions? Our support team is available through chat if you need help with compliance setup!