Permission Marketing

I just started reading Seth Godin's book, Permission Marketing.  Although I thought I understood the overall idea, I find myself fascinated by what actually goes into getting the permission in the first place.  Does a single person really have the time to grant permission to every marketer who hawks a product or service she needs or is the acquisition of permission a subtle art in itself?  .

If Godin is right, getting to the permission stage is not as simple as clicking a button.  Rather, a series of things happen before a marketer can acquire permission.  According to Godin, it all starts with attention.   If a marketer can get a potential customer to pay attention, he can teach something or share information the potential customer finds valuable. If a potential customer finds information to be of value she is likely to share information about herself.  Then the marketer can share even more information and soon some form of trust is formed between the parties Once potential customers begin to trust, they are likely to behave in a way consistent with that trust. Such behavior includes "raising their hands" or granting marketers permission to market to them.

Godin's company routinely uses banner ads, contests and prizes all meant to get people to make one initial "click".  This feeds into the idea that we are all at heart selfish and will mostly do something if we think we have something to gain.  Once we "click" we become engaged in a back and forth game of risk and reward and most importantly, begin to build trust with the marketer to whom we will eventually grant permission.
But I wonder if its that simple. If I don't watch TV, listen to the radio and barely get online, far less troll the web for ads or information about a product or service, how can a marketer get my attention in the first place? Are other forces still at play here?  Do marketers still have to buy customer lists to understand my spending habits, lifestyle and preferences and then try to send targeted e-mails or decide what ads to run on television in the area where I live? Or do I initiate their interest every time I google something?  What about shopping online or in a store with my credit card? Does that do it? 

Perhaps I will get the answers as I continue to read but I can't help but wonder if my permission in itself is not pure; If I have somehow been manipulated into granting it based on how the marketer got my attention  the first place.