How to handle your existing email addresses
by Hank Stroll
Having an email database is extremely important when trying to get the word out about your band or company. Following these initial guidelines will help you to increase the number of your fans and prospects.
Employee Address books – Everyone in your company has a collection of email addresses. No matter how large or small the company, the number of email addresses is always larger than you initially think. Have everyone comb through his or her address books – this collection of emails will form the initial core of your subscription.
Information requests – Every person who has written you asking for more information should be automatically added to your list. These are great fans/prospects. You want to make sure that you keep in touch with them.
Accounting department – This is an often-overlooked source for email addresses, but, if you think about it for a moment, this should be your second stop. The accounting department handles billing, so they know who all your current and former clients are. All these people should be added to the list. Naturally, you want to maintain the best relations and spread the message, and you’ll also want to use it to try to leverage a new relationship with your former clients.
Employee List – Also, overlooked by most. This list is critical to spreading the message to others. Every employee has friends who may be a prospect for your service. As your employees read about you, they may think of other people who were not in their address book that they previously supplied, who will find value about your band/business and forward on to them.
New Prospects from Your Sales Department – Set up a process so that your team will provide you with the contact information of any new prospects that they are calling. The articles that their prospect reads provide a good ‘icebreaker’ that is relevant to your product or service versus talking about the weather.
