WAY 73

Email—Friend or Foe?

Electronic mail has become the most prominent method of communication in our modern society. Even the post office is feeling the effect of email. The volume of letters has dropped significantly, although the population and the number of businesses continue to increase. Email can be a great tool for prospecting, or it can be your worst enemy.

ACTION ITEM

Collect every email address of every prospect, and create an email series so powerful that your customers will look forward to it every week or month.

One corporate executive claims that she gets over 200 emails a day, and it is about all she can do to keep up with them. What's even worse is that she estimates 70 to 80 percent of them are unnecessary. That means that you have to be careful about using email. Here are three simple rules:

1. Make sure the subject line of each message is personal for the person to whom it's going. Many emails are simply deleted without being opened because they scream SPAM.
2. Never send broadcast emails without getting the permission of the people you put on your list.
3. When you've got something of benefit to the recipient, don't be afraid to send it by email, but make your message short and sweet.

TAKEAWAY

When used correctly, email can be your
greatest prospecting tool. Used without caution,
it can become your worst nightmare.