Yesterday, I was talking with a potential client about engaging my services. The prospect asked for a guarantee of results with regard to a smallish blocking list, and left the telephone call unhappy because I would not do that.

The reason that I, and indeed ANY email delivery consultant, cannot guarantee results seems obvious to me. If I were running that list that your mail server is listed on, then I could guarantee something because I am responsible for it. But, I cannot promise you that someone else will act in accordance with my wishes.

I know lots of the people involved in running some of the larger lists, and consider many of them to be my friends. But, when I am working with them on a professional item, we set that friendship aside and try to work together for a result that will satisfy the list’s delisting criteria.

When it comes to working with a blocking list or an ISP, I cannot lean on those friendships to get me anything more than these two things:

1. Recalling my reputation for honesty with them.
2. Understanding that I won’t work with someone who is trying to game the system.

That will get me the benefit of the doubt in a lot of instances, but it does nothing to get me a free pass to delisting. I can open dialog, I can talk to them, but no one can promise you something contingent upon someone else’s actions.