I was surprised to receive a present from Google in the mail the other day. I opened up the Google Mini-Refrigerator (Cooler / Warmer) pictured here. This neat little gift from Google can be plugged into an outlet or a car lighter port and has a nifty handle on the top so you can carry it with you when you are on the go.

With the fridge came a personalized note signed by my Google rep and her Boss, and a nice little cardboard certificate recognizing that I have generated 1 Million Leads using Google Adwords! Wow, I thought, that is pretty cool.

After a few days though, I started to think about it. The picture of Dr. Evil came into my head when he puts his pinky to his lips and demands 1 Million Dollars, and his quickly corrected that 1 Million isn't such a ransom amount anymore.

Since Google's "leads" are actually clicks, I did some quick calculations in my accounts and since I started running AdWords, I have generated almost 13 Million "leads" in my own accounts, and well over 13 Million when you include some of the consulting other accounts I manage for a few select clients.

Now, don't get me wrong, I truly appreciate the gift, and love to be recognized for spending so much money with Google. Also please don't take the analogy to Dr Evil the wrong way, I don't think Google is Evil. But if you are going to take the time to personally thank one of your customers and recognize their performance, shouldn't you at least add up their leads? Thanking me for generating over 10 Million leads would have been better than recognizing the fact that I have generated 1 Million, don’t you think? It kind of belittles the scope of what I have accomplished with them. Quite honestly, it would have been better to send out the fridge with a note saying we appreciate all the business you do with us and wanted to thank you for your ongoing support.