Do You Send Regular E-mail
to Your Customers and Clients?

E-mail Builds Relationships, Really... I like to argue that e-mail is a vastly underutilized marketing tool in the real estate industry. And the reason is quite simple. Developing, maintaining and producing an effective e-mail campaign is incredibly difficult. Few companies have devoted sufficient resources. Yet my mantra is that all owners, managers and service providers should send regular (short and relevant!) e-mail to their customers and clients. It will not replace lunch, golf or personal meetings. That's not the purpose. The purpose is to strengthen personal business relationships by gently and persistently reinforcing a sense of connection.

So I frequently get questions about how I send the Dispatch. Here's the story. When you sign up for the PikeNet Dispatch (thank you!), your name goes into the Dispatch database, which creates your personal "Profile." By default you sign up for Plain Text e-mail, unless you select HTML e-mail (a web page). If you have the capability of receiving HTML e-mail, you should subscribe this way. You can Edit Your Profile (link in the Dispatch box on the home page), to select Plain Text or HTML e-mail. And you can add your name to personalize your copy of the Dispatch. To edit your Profile, you'll need your password, which is easy to get by entering your e-mail address and clicking the Send My Password button.

When I send the Dispatch, my custom mailing program goes to the mailing database, extracts your e-mail address and name, and sends you either the Plain Text or HTML version. But you do NOT need a fancy (and expensive) e-mail system like this to send to your e-mail list. In fact, you should start with a standard mailing program like Outlook or Eudora. Begin with ten names or a hundred names, whatever. Just start. Experiment with the format and length. Test different kinds of information. Ask your customers what they like. I guarantee that you'll extend your reach and deepen your bonds. Good luck!

--Peter