Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose that consumer goodwill can best be understood as a limited, but potentially renewable resource. Like a renewable natural resource, consumer goodwill can be overexploited. A review of the rise and rapid fall of the businesstoconsumer btoc telemarketing industry in the USA provides evidence that overexploitation of consumer goodwill is precisely what happened. Using telemarketing as a case study, the paper aims to argue that direct marketing practices ought to be managed in accordance with principles of sustainability. If they are not, the consequences may be sudden and nearpermanent declines in consumer responsiveness. Designmethodologyapproach The paper interprets the rise and rapid fall of btoc telemarketing in the USA through the theoretical framework of sustainability. The rise of telemarketing began in the early 1990s with the adoption of predictive dialer technology. Its demise can be marked by the passage of the Federal Do Not Call Registry in 2003. Findings It was found that the framework of sustainability does, in fact, seem to adequately describe events surrounding the rise, then nearcollapse of btoc telemarketing in the USA during this timeframe. Research limitationsimplications Being a conceptual paper, the principal finding is that there exists a real, but yetundefined threshold of consumer goodwill towards consumer telemarketing. How can that threshold be determined How can industry selfregulate to remain below its threshold Can an industry that has overexploited its consumer threshold of goodwill ever recover These questions are raised, not answered. Originalityvalue The paper applies the concept of sustainability to direct marketing. It will be of interest to any researchers or practitioners who seek to comprehend what worked so well then went quickly so wrong with btoc telemarketing in the USA. The findings may help to prevent similar consumer backlashes in other countries where btoc telemarketing has only begun to become common practice. These findings may also have value for practitioners who rely on consumer goodwill in other direct marketing channels, such as email and catalog marketing.

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   |clé=     ISTEX:4FBDB4A1A9B4CFFF7ABAFC83B4BC756E20A57A76
   |texte=   Sustainable telemarketing A new theory of consumer behavior
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