I received two emails this weekend. Both were as a result of autoresponder follow ups these people were receiving from my business.

The first was full of expletives that arent worth repeating. The second I shall remember always. It affected me so much that I felt compelled to write this article and share my story with you.

I received an email from a woman who had been receiving follow ups regarding an affiliate program I belong to. This would have been about the twentieth follow up. I have removal instructions at the end of every email, however, it never ceases to surprise me the number of people who dont remove themselves from the follow up and then abuse me because they are still receiving them. However, that is by the by.

Instead of abuse I got a story. For some reason this woman had written to me to tell me exactly why she cant take up my offer at this time, though she had read every single email and told me she will keep my details for future reference.

I am honoured that she shared her story with me, though I dont know how deserving I was of hearing it.

Words cannot express how I felt after reading her story. And it made me realise that the ultimate goal is not the sale. The ultimate goal is to realise that every email address we follow up with belongs to a real person. A person with disappointments in their lives, with tragedies to deal with, a person who has absolutely nothing to give at this time to anything other than their own personal lives.

I mean, who am I to ask for more than this person is able to give?

Am I important in the scheme of things when a family has to deal with suicide in their immediate family?

Do I have any right to say anything at all when a woman is dealing with the trial of her brothers murderers in two weeks?

What in Gods name could I say? What could I possibly offer a woman going through these kind of personal tragedies a fr** product, a subscription to my newsletter, an inbox filled with unnecessary products for the next 30 days?

I have no right to offer this woman anything business-wise at all. However, personally I sent her an email telling her I have removed her from my list and then spent the rest of the email sending her every blessing I could possibly imagine, wishing her and her family God by their side through this journey I cant imagine ever taking.

When I pressed send I realised how focused we must remain on the fact that we, as individuals, are all following our own paths and all going through our own trials and tribulations. Every email is attached to a human being, just as every website is attached to a human business owner.

Sometimes it is important to remember that the bottom line is the sale is not the bottom line.

Karin Manning

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