Of course, for services, other forms of Permission Marketing beyond virtual marketing include speaking, writing, publicity, etc. so that you become the go-to expert in your target market.

But here I’m speaking specifically about using technology to market your services for you, while you do other things.

I don’t think so. Mail order catalogs are still alive and well. I still get 10 credit card applications in the mail every week.

Right now I subscribe to several online cigar shop’s opt-in lists. Consistantly one company has been sending me lists of great deals week after week. What started as a small order from me has grown into $100+ of orders a month. In fact, their e-mail was so successful I had to cancel it because I was spending too much! (but I still check their site regularly)

I think avoiding pop-ups at all costs is a good idea. They are invasive and annoying.

I found this article on web design and its effects on a site.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/content.cfm?content_type=article&content_type_id=3901
I hope that you find it interesting.

1) identified a market that is reachable and sizable
2) identified their interests
3) provided information to capture their attention
4) exploited this ‘channel’ to sell products/advertising

They look simple but these are four difficult tasks.