make me give their email address before giving me any information. When I see those, I click away immediately."

And the list of complaints goes on. If we hate these things, plus our website visitors and marketing peers tell us they hate these things, we should stop using them, right?

Hold it right there. Basing your marketing decision completely on opinions and preferences is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. It doesn't matter if it's your opinion or if 10 people emailed you to tell you that your website annoys them. NEVER make a judgment based on an opinion. What we think and prefer has nothing to do with the RESULTS of our marketing.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying to ignore your gut feelings or disregard your potential customers. I'm saying - test it out.

We know everyone hates pop-ups, but the fact is they work when used effectively.

Audio that starts when you visit a website can be highly irritating, but many website owners report increased conversions when they do just that.

Long sales letters can be very effective when selling an individual product...just ask world-class copywriter Michel Fortin who has helped people sell millions online.

I also know someone who runs a 7-figure yearly business and has switched all his websites to the name-squeeze (you know, those idiotic pages that ask for your name and email before giving you any info?)...and he makes more money now.

Does this mean you must blindly use these "irritating techniques"? Nah...your business is unique and you need to base your decisions on cold hard facts (i.e. your testing data) so you can make more cold hard cash.