Marketing & Sales Hall of Shame
This is where I keep track of the companies who block the exit door. These are companies with products that are at least worth exploring, but BUYER BEWARE, they will punish you for exploring their product making it almost worth paying them in order to escape their tortuous cancellation process.
We all know them and now there is at least one more place to shame them into better behavior and encourage one another not to patronize them until they do.
Here's my list so far:
- Adobe: Once the gold standard in design and creative work, the company seems to be trying to claw its way into remaining relevant as AI competitors produce better products for much less money. I'm sure it's still got a lot to offer, but BUYER BEWARE, once you are in they will make it REALLY hard to ever get out again including forcing a sales call before they release you from your contract which is almost inesacapably a year long.
- RingCentral: I will never forgive these folks. I had to actually cancel a credit card to get off their plan. I don't remember the details, but worth sharing the warning.
- Thinkific: Good product, but a commodity at this point and there are lots of options. The product itself should insure that buyers stay loyal, instead the company has a "no refund policy" and like so many SaaS products makes it so easy to sign up for more than you expected and then force you down a Kafkaesque maze to identify all of the accounts you accidentally created when you signed up. Avoid. Nas.io looks like a good alternative. HighLevel seems like a good option.
Marketing for Local Auctions and Luxury Resellers
If you're in the luxury business, we'd love to get to know you. We're building a community committed to showing up better for people who care about great stuff.
Luxury resellers are at risk of getting swept up by a slow moving Amazon-like wave gobbling up auctions, antique stores, and exotic car sellers.
Without good strategy, the local players will get eaten up like so many local grocery stores after Walmart moves to town.
It doesn't have to be this way, and it's worth the effort it takes to grow better.
Topic #hall of shameAdam Singer helps growth-minded businesses turn marketing and operations into scalable systems that drive results. As the founder of Ability Growth Partners, Adam works with owners, managers, and marketing leaders to simplify workflows, improve visibility, and grow revenue—without the guesswork. Adam brings a rare blend of strategy, automation, and hands-on execution. He’s known for connecting the dots between digital ads, SEO, AI tools, and internal systems—transforming scattered efforts into a clear, scalable plan. With decades of web experience and credentials as a HubSpot Solutions Provider, Google Partner, and WordPress organizer, Adam has led award-winning campaigns and spoken on marketing and tech at events across the U.S., Israel, and Asia. Structure, strategy, and support that actually move the needle.
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