Make it a habit to always ask new clients for their email address and include a space for email addresses on all your contact forms and sign up sheets.

If a customer feels uncomfortable giving you their email address, remind them that it saves trees and keeps your costs down. Tell them you have a strict privacy policy and under no circumstances will you share their email address or abuse the privilege. Be adamant without being obnoxious.

Staying in touch consistently with customers and prospects is a lot easier these days with email. Good email practices can be a strong asset for businesses because of the low cost and ease of use.

A recent study from eMarketer reported that 67% of U.S. consumers said they liked companies who, in their opinion, did a good job with permission email marketing.

And even though some people are still reluctant to completely embrace this type of communicating due to SPAM and abuse concerns, the benefits far outway the negatives. It