Ask the Online ExpertsRod Aries and Robert FarrisE-mail, web tools, internet
What are some basic E-mail rules to follow?
From: Steve, 1st Trust Mortgage
Here are some
basic E-mail rules to follow to keep yourself out of trouble:
1. The quickest way to make a lot of enemies (and probably get
dropped by your Internet Service Provider) is to send inappropriate
and unsolicited mass E-mail. This is often referred to as
“spamming” and could harm your reputation and that of
your company. In fact, there have been some legal cases where a
company was liable for the E-mail “spam” actions of one
of their employees. This is good way of getting both yourself and
your employer in trouble. When it comes to spam E-mail, don't do it.
2. When a person receives unsolicited E-mail,
one of the worst things to do is to respond to be removed from
their E-mail list. When you respond to spam, you are telling the
“spammers” that your E-mail address is a live one and
they will then resell your E-mail to other spam companies. So
instead of getting less spam
E-mail, you will start getting more spam E-mail. The moral of the
story is, “Don't respond back to spam E-mail. Just ignore it,
like unsolicited, junk snail mail.”
3. DON'T USE ALL CAPS. Using all caps when you
compose your messages makes your E-mail more difficult to read and
also seems like you are shouting at the reader. This is the lazy
way of writing. You don't want your clients thinking you are
lazy...do you?
4. When responding to E-mail, keep your
sentences short and to the point. Remember, you are not writing a
novel and most people are too busy to read a long-winded response.
The message should be short enough to give the reader a clear
description of your ideas.
5. If you respond to an E-mail when you are
upset, don't immediately press “send” to vent your
writing anger. Just like in the real world, sit back and count to
10 (maybe 10 minutes), and rethink what you wrote. Remember, once
you send the E-mail, there is no way of getting it back. You don't
want to lose a large commission because your client misread what
you were saying.
6. Don't “redirect” a message to
someone else unless they know it is being redirected. Let me
explain. When you “reply” to an E-mail message, the
message is ONLY sent back to the person who sent you the E-mail.
When you respond to a “redirect,” the message is sent
back to BOTH the person who redirected the message to you and the
person who originally wrote the message. This can get a person in
trouble if they are responding back with some unflattering message.
You don't want your boss reading some comments that he or she was
not supposed to read. Moral of the story again, “Be very
careful with redirected E-mail!”
What are some
good E-mail marketing strategies?
From: John, Star Point Loans
E-mail is likely
to be the first and most useful form of direct contact you will
have with mortgage clients and prospects over the Internet. E-mail
contact is a powerful and inexpensive way to deliver messages...if
you know how to use it correctly. It can be your primary way to
create relationships and close more deals on the Internet. Here are some easy tips and tricks you can
implement to effectively market yourself every time you send or
receive an E-mail message:
1. First of all, check your E-mail often (at
least every 30 minutes or less). In fact, most E-mail programs have
an option where it will automatically check your E-mail without you
having to click “check mail.” When an E-mail is
received, you can also program your computer to make an annoying
sound to alert you (“You've got mail”).
2. You also need to respond immediately,
whenever possible, to messages, even if it is a short, “Thank
you for contacting me.” When someone sends you a message,
they are usually still online. If you respond immediately, it shows
your customers or prospects that you are a professional loan agent
who responds back quickly (i.e. someone who will be able to close
their upcoming loan quickly). This will also distinguish you from
other “less-Internet-capable” agents who only respond
to their E-mails maybe once a day. It like responding back to a
phone lead at 5:00 p.m when the prospect called at 8:00 a.m. Not a
good way to stay in the mortgage business.
3. Make it easy for clients to contact you by
“hyperlinking” any references to your Web site or
E-mail address in the body of your message. You can do this by
adding “http://” and “mail to:” (without
the quotes) to your Web site or E-mail address. All the client has
to do is click the Internet site or mailbox and it will take them
to your Web site. The old saying still stands: “You confuse,
you lose.” Make it easy for your customers to do business
with you.
4. Always use a complete
“signature” at the end of each E-mail message. This
signature should include your normal business contact information
along with a short blurb about yourself. This blurb should be
something like, “Been helping people finance their homes
since 1975” or “Have helped more than 150 families buy
their first home.” Remember, you need to distinguish yourself
from your competition, and the Internet has a lot of
competition.
Rod Aries and
Robert Farris are co-founders of MortgagePromote.com. They
may be contacted at (800) 625-8787 or E-mail
[email protected].Â
Submit your Internet questions to:
[email protected].
