Markets are cyclical. Put simply, one day you're up, the next day you're down. But relationships can last a lifetime, and in today's down cycle, your best bet for future profits is in establishing relationships with your customers now. While customers today are tightening purse strings, there will come a point in the future when they will spend again. Your investment in each customer relationship today will yield greater profits tomorrow.
Loyalty translates to sales, and sales yield profits.
There is nothing special in this old-school approach to business. And in my humble opinion, that's why 62 percent of them operate at a loss. When managed properly, it is the single most effective tool for bringing new customers to your Web site. And once they've visited your site and subscribed to your mailer, you'll have a powerful connection to your customer. E-mail provides several methods for developing customer relationships.