E-Mail Bonding Mass e-mails are quick and easy, but a personal touch can do wonders for your business.

E-mail should hasten rather than hinder your salesprocess," says Stephan Schiffman, sales guru and president ofDEI Management Group in New York City. "But because people arebombarded with so many messages, they also need to use e-mailjudiciously."

The more personalized your message, the better the chance itwill be both read and responded to. Schiffman suggests a monthlye-mail newsletter that keeps clients and potential clientsup-to-date on your company. For example, you can use a newsletterto announce any upcoming sales or service promotions, send outinformation on new product lines, brag about articles or booksyou've had published or speeches you've given, as well asconduct customer surveys.

"Periodic check-ins are an easy way to create a dialoguewith customers," Schiffman says. "I look at it likeI'm sending an electronic post-it. On occasion, I'll gothrough my 500 e-mail addresses, and send little 'How's itgoing?' kind of notes to those I haven't talked to in awhile. If you do this on a Sunday night for Monday morningdelivery, it usually triggers some kind of response."