You might have heard various email marketing gurus saying that one of the best ways to build your own opt-in list of qualified prospects is to create an autoresponder with a free-email-course-jam-packed-with-helpful-tips-about-the-subject-you-know-about (yes, they actually say it on one breath, don't try it at home). This is definitely true; writing about things you know establishes you as an expert in the field, and your readers are more likely to buy from you because they already know and trust you.

You probably know that 20% of your customers are responsible for 80% of your sales.

If you have ever entered your name and email address to ask for information online about a product or service, or you have signed up for an update list or a group membership on the Internet, or you have emailed a customer service address from a website and received a nearly instantaneous response, an autoresponder program was the system responsible for delivering the reply.