I advocate to my clients that they build a long list of customers and prospective customers and then communicate directly, providing as much value as possible in the form of content, education and discounts. I’ve developed extremely effective processes for this over the years, and it builds business, often dramatically, every time.

Which is why I was especially interested when I got an e-mail from AT&T — my wireless provider — with a subject line of It’s our way of saying, “Thanks Alex!”

Nice attention getting subject.

Inside, there’s a short note that begins this way:

I’d like to take a moment to thank you for your business with this offer. Right now, when you add a line, you can get a great deal on an HTC Vivd 4G LTE smartphone. You’ll be able to text, email, browse the Web, and enjoy multimedia content with access to the nation’s largest 4G network.

To take advantage, you need to sign a two-year contract for this new phone.

There’s no mention of price. You have to click on a link to get to it. I click, and go to AT&T site for the offer. The phone is $50, down from $450. Nice value on the surface.

But out of curiosity, I Google the price on the unit.

Amazon has it for $40.

That’s right, $10 less than AT&T’s special “thank you” deal.

Financially, $10 is nearly meaningless. But emotionally, from a marketing perspective, in terms of the feelings this email creates for customers, it’s much more damaging.

AT&T should be thanking customers with real value. For example:

• How-tos and tips-and-tricks for my own phone
• Stories of happy customers to give people ideas on how they can best utilize their AT&T device and service
• Contests and giveaways (and, in follow-up emails, publicize the winner).
• Discounts and deals — without having to click on a link to learn what it is. 
• And the discounts and deals have to be real. Don’t let me find a better price than your special “thank you” offer in three seconds.

The email AT&T sent this morning is the right idea but the wrong execution.