Don't oversell & scare your customers

Although this post in Consumerist is about debt collectors, there is a lesson for direct mail marketers.  You can go overboard.  

Lesson: Don’t oversell your product or service.

LivingSocial All Wet

If you schedule your customer emails ahead of time, here is a reminder to stop and verify that you are selling the right thing at the right time: According to Valleywag, LivingSocial is selling trips to a disaster zone in Colorado.  Fail for really bad Timing.

Lesson: Do a final check before every direct marketing effort to ensure that your product and offer are appropriate. Do not send a marketing offer for something you can't sell or for travel to a flooded area.