If you ask one hundred successful internet marketers what their most valuable asset was they would answer The List. Dig a little deeper and you will discover that they all rely on autoresponders to not only manage The List but also profit it. So what is an autoresponder and what can it do for you?

Briefly, an autoresponder is a piece of sophisticated software that does one or more of the following:

1. Manages The List, automatically adding and unsubscribing users to set lists.

2. Automatically sends our emails to The List at predefined timescales.

3. Keeps the business CAN Spam compliant, usually with double opt ins, unsubscribe links and contact addresses.

4. Produces and manages the opt in form.

There are two ways to obtain an autoresponder either set one up on your own server or subscribe to an online service. Although the online service can be more expensive it does have the following advantages.

1. The better services have very robust servers so that your precious List is safe.

2. They are used to working with the anti spam facilities of the major email hosts.

3. They have a lot of extra facilities such as newspaper templates.

4. Their use marks you out as a serious internet marketer.

So what can you do with your faithful servant the autoresponder?

1. Send out regular emails to your List.

2. Start an ezine for your customers.

3. Send out answers to FAQs.

4. Acknowledge support and sales enquiries.

5. Keep in touch with people who have made sales enquiries.

6. Send out details of recent product launches.

7. Manage your linking and affiliate requests.

8. Anything you can think of, to keep in touch with your precious clients.

Now if only it could make coffee as well!

Lee Lister

Lee Lister is Management Consultant and Program Manager with more than 25 year's management and consultancy experience and more than 20 year's program and project management experience in projects for Banking, Finance, Insurance, Leisure and Government bodies. She also have more than 10 years bid management experience ranging from bids for medium companies to large international and infrastructure bids.

British born, Lee received her BA(Hons) Financial Economics from the University of Essex. She went on to work in or for a considerable number of countries within Asia and Europe as well as Australia and the United States. While building a name for herself through helping company restructure, change management and project management consultancy, Lee became a well-known figure for her skills in analyzing, problem solving and trouble-shooting. She has consulted for many major industries, including banking, telecommunications, insurance, transportation, leisure and governments from many different countries. Some of the companies who have benefited from Lee?s expertise are Hewlett Packard, Siemans Nixdorf, Electrolux and the Philippines government.

Whilst working in the Far East she became a recognized expert on preparing and evaluating large World Bank Proposals (infrastructure projects within developing countries). These accomplishments called upon the skills of bid and project management, risk assessment, contract negotiation and supplier management and required dedicated work to very tight time scales. This expertise was acknowledged by an invitation to be the principle speaker at an International Business Development Conference in Washington, USA. She has also consulted at very senior level in several countries.

She owns and manages two companies, Biz Guru LLC in the USA and Biz Guru Services Ltd in the UK as well a considerable number of profitable web sites. She works almost entirely via the internet, visiting clients on site during major consultancies and training. Her Internet skills span from when major companies first started to consider obtaining their own web sites. During these years, she has kept up to date with the rapid changes on the internet, including the dot com boom and the resulting bust ? which her own web based companies survived.

She regularly consults, writes and lectures on business, bid management and marketing and has published numerous courses and books.

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