Are We Dating or Married?

You've convinced me that I want to sign up for your
newsletter. Now that I'm ready, what do I do? I go to the
signup box on the current web page and complete the form.
But wait... what are you asking for? If you're asking for
more than my name and email address, I will hesitate.

After all, if you're going to send me an email newsletter,
why do you even need my name, much less my street address,
city, state, zip, telephone number, number of people in my
household, etc. My email address should be enough. Now I'll
give you my name, because I understand that you'll want to
personalize my email messages. But unless you show me very
good reasons, I'll forget about signing up and go on to
another site that doesn't want a lot of information in
exchange for their complimentary report or newsletter.

It's like dating. When you first meet you get only the
necessary information - name and phone number. As you agree
to date, you'll get the address. Later, as you get to know
one another better, you'll start to add more details.

Moving a visitor from lead to customer involves a courting
process. You want them to get to know you. They need to
learn to trust you. You need to establish a relationship.
That's the purpose of your newsletter. You offer them good
information and in return they give you the right to market
to them. As they become more interested and more loyal,
they'll move from just a lead to a steady prospect.
Eventually you'll "marry" some of your prospects and they'll
become customers.

So what's your courting pattern? How do you get to know your
prospects? When do you ask for more information -- more
commitment?

For more information on the online sales process sign up for
the complimentary mini course at
http://www.SalesSiteQuickStart.com.

Dr. Jeanette Cates is The Technology Tamer and Internet
strategist for small business. She is the author of Online
Success Tactics: 101 ways to build your small business at
http://www.OnlineSuccessTactics.com.

In The News:

Sticks & Stones: The Changing Politics of the Self-Publishing Stigma
Huffington Post
But, like or not, indie publishing is here to stay. And the publishing world will be all the richer for it. Terri Giuliano Long is a contributing writer for IndieReader and Her Circle eZine. She has written news and features for numerous publications, ...

and more »

5 Reasons I Don't Tweet During Conferences Anymore
Business 2 Community
At Publishing University, sponsored by the International Book Publishers Association, in March of this year, I was a member of three panels that discussed social media and online book promotion. I love hearing Dan Poynter, the self-publishing expert, ...

Google News


Better Links Directory


Newsletter Formatting

Formatting your text newsletter correctly can make a failure into... Read More

7 Useful Free Services For E-publishers

If you want to have an online business, without doubt,... Read More

Are Your E-Mails Bouncing? Hard Bounces, Soft Bounces, and Everything in Between

Are you doing "the bounce"? No, it's not a new... Read More

Plagiarism on the High Seas

More and more companies are finding the value in informational... Read More

An Overlooked Fr~e Advertising Opportunity

When you have an online business you need to utilize... Read More

10 Valuable Tips For Ezine Publishers

1. Write your own articles.Your articles will give you an... Read More

Need Ezine Content - Think Holidays

Publishing an ezine certainly has its benefits and rewards, but... Read More

The Quick Ways To Increase Your E-zines Subscriber Base

1. Give Incentives Give people an incentive to subscribe to... Read More

E-zine Promotion: 10 Smart Reasons To Charge A Fee For Your E-zine

You publish an e-zine, you may consider to start charging... Read More

Create Your Own Ezine Traffic Machine

How would you like to reach millions of people with... Read More

An Embarrassment of Riches - Part II

The DOI Foundation has unveiled the DOI-EB (EB stands for... Read More

Should You Upgrade Your E-zine From Text to HTML?

A few years ago, when I first started seeing HTML... Read More

E-Power The E-zine Advantage

"Regular communication with your customers is essential to your success."... Read More

How To Develope Content For Your Ezine Without Having To Write Your Own Articles

Do you struggle with creating content for your ezine? You... Read More

How To Write Effective Ezine Ads... And Then Some

When writing an ezine ad, there is a big mistake... Read More

You Can Develop An E-zine Even If You Dont Enjoy Writing!

Do you know that many business owners market their businesses... Read More

Write an Ezine? But I Dont Know HOW!

If you've been promoting your business on the internet you've... Read More

Self Publishing At The Speed Of Thought

Publishing, both electronic and hard copy, from articles to books,... Read More

Learn How to Choose a Great Topic for Your Newsletter

Since you're going to write your newsletter on a regular... Read More

Convert Your Newsletters into Immediate Cash

One-Page Newsletters can do more than help you keep in... Read More

Become an E-Book Author ... Make Money From Your Knowledge!

"E-Book" is short for Electronic Book---an organized set of content... Read More

5 Tips for Catching Errors in Your Manuscript

What is your worse fear as a self-publishing writer? For... Read More

OK People - Lets Get Real!

It's all about numbers - or so some ezine publishers... Read More

Publishing Special Reports And Ebooks At No Cost

So you'd like to start publishing special reports and ebooks... Read More

Employee Newsletter Ideas - 7 Creative Ideas for Your Employee Newsletter

Employee newsletters are an effective tool to communicate with your... Read More