Follow Up with an Autoresponder After You Generate Leads

Written by Miguel Pancardo Thursday, 05 May 2011 07:48

You know how important it is to generate leads for your business. You also know you need those leads to stay afloat on the Internet. But what happens AFTER you generate the leads? What do you do with them, and what's the next step you should take? We'll answer those questions right now.

You know how important it is to generate leads for your business. You also know you need those leads to stay afloat on the Internet. But what happens AFTER you generate the leads? What do you do with them, and what's the next step you should take? We'll answer those questions right now.

Following up with a new lead is about as important as fertilizer is to a farmer's crops. It helps the growth process. That person on the other end of the computer needs to know that you are real and trustworthy. So you don't want to be aloof and remain totally anonymous. In other words, you need to follow up with that contact immediately.

The best way to do this is with the use of an autoresponder. This is a piece of software that helps you keep track of new contacts, manage older contacts and follow up with them regularly. This is especially vital at the start of the relationship. That's right - relationship. In essence you are building trust and faith with each other.

Whenever someone joins your mailing list, an autoresponder immediately sends that person a welcome or thank you message. It can be configured to send the number of messages you need at the intervals you select. Although the initial welcome message should be sent out immediately, subsequent messages can be sent at the intervals you choose - daily, weekly or whatever other interval you need.

Subsequent messages will walk them through your system, offering other items along the way. Since you probably gave them something for free at the outset, you have already set a precedent that you do what you say you will do. As you bring the prospect along, you can sell them other low end products and build their trust as you do. At the end of this process, you will then offer your main money maker and hopefully they will buy it.

An autoresponder provides a great deal of help in this process, but it can also do other things. If you are receiving many inquiries, an autoresponder is able to organize your contact list and keep you informed about exactly where each contact is in the process. It will also let you send messages that are called "announcements" whenever you want. For example, you might find an especially good product at an amazingly low price. You'll be able to use an announcement to offer it to your leads.

One thing with email marketing of this sort is the danger of SPAM reports. Autoresponder software guards against that with an "unsubscribe" option embedded in every message. If the customer has the option to leave at any time and they don't, then the emails you send are not SPAM; they are expected and you are safe from that, so it's like insurance, in manner of speaking.

Basically, you have to follow up with your leads and stay in contact with them at all times and auto responder software does that automatically and easily. Believe me, customers expect you to follow up with them periodically, and if you don't, you are seen as a liability and they will leave your list without even a goodbye.

Use auto responders for follow up and you will always have a satisfied list of buyers on a constant basis.