Jigsaw Ethics

Lead generation is an important aspect in helping our clients bridge the gap from sales expectations to sales results. Several years ago a friend called me after hearing a radio interview with Ben Golub the developer of Jigsaw an online contact database source with up-to-date information. My friend was very excited about the concept. Simply upload complete contact information from our own contact database and receive a free download of an equal number of contacts from the database uploaded by others. The site also allows one to purchase contacts for a fee. I will admit at first I was intrigued and logged on to the website. But then I began to wonder how I could use it. I could not simply violate the confidence of my clients, prospects, casual contacts, etc. by uploading their contact information without permission. Eventually I dropped the idea.

While attending sales growth conference hosted by Verne Harnish a few years ago Ben Golub was one of the Keynote Speakers.

He bragged about how he got the idea and the enormous growth of his contacts available. During the audience question time I obtained the microphone and explained to him that I had been given several business cards during the conference and even held them up. I then stated that by handing me their business cards these individuals gave implied permission to add them to my database and even include them on my newsletter list. I pointed out that permission does not extend to uploading their information on his database. I then asked the question, “how is uploading contact information ethical?” His response was that “Ethics is in the eye of the beholder” and he went on to point out that salespeople were uploading lists by the tens of thousands daily. Of course I was not going to spar with him in a crowd of 300 plus attendees but I think the point was made.

Has Jigsaw turned over a new leaf?

Last month one of our managers received an email from Jigsaw that her contact information had been uploaded with an optional link to have it removed which of course she did. Now if they would only include the contact information of the person who uploaded it. Only then will we know they have arrived!]]>