Measuring Your Permission Asset: Treating Attention as Your Most Valuable Resource

A regional sports club worked for years to grow its newsletter list, but never considered how much it was actually worth—attention was assumed to be freely given, rather than earned and measured. One season, members stopped opening emails, event sign-ups dropped, and donations shrank. When management finally reviewed their data, they realized only a small, loyal group was engaging, and these few drove most of the buzz, membership growth, and event revenue.

The club decided to run a detailed audit: they estimated the average lifetime value of a loyal, permissioned member—including not just direct purchases, but indirect referrals and social posts. They stopped sending generic blasts to everyone, focusing instead on tailoring updates and invitations to those most interested. Engagement rates soared. When someone stopped responding, the team reached out with a personalized check-in or new incentive. By treating their list as a finely-tuned asset—not a commodity—they could predict and boost results far better than ever before.

This mirrors the business concept of “customer asset management,” analyzing, tracking, and nurturing the lifetime worth of active, willing, and engaged customers. It’s rooted in behavioral and relationship marketing science: permission is not a static list, but a living, breathing resource.

Set aside time for a thoughtful audit. Gather every list, community, or repeat contact that you can reach with permission—and no, people who haven’t consented don’t count. Estimate what each relationship or permission group has contributed over time: not just sales, but participation, ideas, or referrals. Track who’s really engaged (opens, replies, sign-ups) and note where people are tuning out. When signs of fatigue appear, try a special offer, a new type of content, or a personal note to reawaken lost permission. Treat your permission base like gold—guard it, nurture it, and it will reward you many times over.