c) ones who don't really intend to buy any of your products, but are in for ride because of all "free stuff" you can give them.

Many old "free web hosting" companies learned this lesson hard way, and ended up either charging high service fees to quickly recoup their expenses (and repel their thousands of non-profitable members), or closing shop altogether.

(And that is something you CLEARLY don't want to do.)

3. Define clearly what you expect from potential list ----------------------------------------------------- members -- and what THEY can expect from you. ---------------------------------------------

Although at first this sounds rather cold & uninviting, it's actually a rule that's sustained oldest successful mailing lists and best of new ones.

Our most ideal clients are ones who hold personal values & business visions similar to our own. This same formula applies to ideal mailing list members.

You created your list for a reason; people sign up for your list also for a reason. If both these reasons are synergetic enough, then you and your list members can enjoy a long and satisfying relationship not just through email, but through actual business interactions as well.

4. Manage smarter, not harder. ------------------------------

A business owner's many responsibilities are taxing enough as it is, so you don't want role of "mailing list moderator" to be too complicated to get in way of your other roles. So:

- Combine your website promotion efforts with your mailing list awareness campaigns.

- Automate as many functions as possible, but step in with a personal touch when it really matters to your customer.

- Actively seek your members' input in keeping your list dynamic & useful for everyone.

- And remain true to your list's original purpose & vision, creating a real service for you & your members.

So what if you apply all these principles and you end up with a list of just 200 members?

If you sent them a single announcement for an online sale, and more than 100 of them visited your site & more than 50 made actual purchases, then THAT'S a MAXIMIZED mailing list indeed!

© Tatiana Velitchkov

Many times prospects will visit your site and not buy or do what you want them to do.They may be short on time, or be pre-occupied at time etc. Just don't let them leave your site without at least trying to get their email address!

By having a "Join Our Mail List" form on your site, you can at least try to capture their email address and follow up with them.

Once a prospect joins your mail list you can then use what's called an Autoresponder which will have pre-set messages that you already created sent to them automatically.

Use at minimum 7 to 10 messages in your autoresponder to follow up with your prospects.

Another simple technique that I use that builds my mail list is to offer something for free in exchange for their name and email address.

It is a great technique for building your mail list in a hurry! It could be anything for free from an ebook, a "how to" course etc.

The point is to build your mail list. Then earn trust and gain credibility from prospects on your list by letting your personality show through and by offering good information. In turn your prospects will be more receptive to buying or doing whatever it is you are offering.

These are some simple strategies you could be employing with any program that you are associated with.

And over time, you will notice your program working for you, instead of you working for your program!