Five Easy Ways To Do Business Automatically With Autoresponders

Most business-building ideas won't work unless you make the time
to do them. If your day is already jam packed with work, family,
and life in general, adding one more business builder can seem
out of the question.

Autoresponders are an exception. These simple software gizmos
can be set up in minutes, then left to run automatically for
years. When someone requests your autoresponder messages, they
get the first one instantly, then are emailed additional messages
over time.

Here are five easy ways to do more business automatically with
autoresponders.

1. Instant sales information, again and again. I love to put an
autoresponder address at the end of classified ads. Not only can
the prospect request your info, your autoresponder can send it to
them instantly, then keep additional information coming to them
day after day.

I use a 10 message autoresponder to provide information on a
business opportunity. My site tells people to type in their name
and email address for more information. They instantly get a
message with their name on it. Another message comes the next
day and the next. Then the autoresponder waits a few days before
sending the fourth message. Because not everyone wants to buy
right away, the autoresponder gets back with the prospect each
week for several months.

This gives you the follow-up method that most selling requires.
Rather than having to go through your rolodex each day and call
prospects, your autoresponder contacts them automatically.

2. Follow-up after the sale. Customers rank follow-up after the
sale the number one shortcoming for most businesses. One smart
entrepreneur has an autoresponder send a thank you note the
moment the customer places an order. The note offers additional
help via email or phone. Several days later a second email
arrives with news of a new offer. Finally a third messages goes
out two weeks later checking on the customer's satisfaction with
their purchase.

3. Deliver a timeless newsletter. Nothing builds consistent
sales like your own email newsletter. But not everyone has the
time or information to send out an email newsletter each week.

Instead, put together a six to ten issue newsletter that has
timeless information. Include offers and purchase tips.
Load it into your autoresponder, then advertise your newsletter
on your web site and in your print materials.

4. Create your own course. People love to get how-to
information to solve specific problems. Make a list of the
question or problems your customers bring to you most often.
Write down the questions along with their answers. You can
combine these with articles by experts to create your own email
course.

I have a number of email courses that have been consistently
popular for years. One has been requested by thousands of
people--which leads us to strategy five.

5. Build a house email list. Most autoresponder systems keep a
list of everyone who has requested your information. You can use
the list to send out a periodic update or newsletter. We use the
list from my email course to send out a "Course Newsletter" once
each month. It is a great way to reach thousands of people who
have a proven interest in our information. They make great
customers.

You can get good autoresponders from a lot of places. Your web
site host may provide them for you. aWeber.com, one of the
original autoresponder providers, is one of the best with
reliable service, a great control system, and fast response.
Infogeneratorpro.com is also popular. Both cost about $20 per
month. One good free option is Freeautobot.com.

Expect free services to be a bit slower in delivering your
message and experience outages from time to time. If a service
offers a trial period, try it and watch for messages that get
lost or slow delivery.

Keep in mind that spam filtering will sometimes filter out your
messages even though the prospect requested them. Keep your
messages on hand. Invariably you will get a few interested
prospects who say "I missed message 5..can you send it to me?"

While lots of Internet systems promise automated ecommerce,
autoresponders are one of the few ways to put important aspects
of your operation on autopilot.