If you're an online marketer then you know that one of the keys to success in your home business is "in the list". Every training course will tell you that and every sponsor or mentor will preach this to you. But just how do you do that?

Well first you have to generate traffic to your site...and that's another entire training course. For now let's assume that you have an interested prospect. He or she is looking for something similar to what you sell but there just not quite ready to buy.

If you capture that name and email address and then do nothing with that while they are contemplating a purchase, you can be assured they will go elsewhere and you stand a very good chance of loosing the sale. So how do you keep them interested in YOU?

Email -it's a perfect way to stay in front of your prospects.

There are many new home business owners that fail to follow up with these prospects for several reasons; one they simply do not know how and for another they don't know what to say or how to approach them.

So here are a few guidelines to follow to ensure a good email follow up series.

Start with a thank you page. Let your customer know that you received their request and reinforce what they have purchased or subscribe to. It is also appropriate here to ask for a confirmation to ensure compliance with any anti spam laws.

If you are not going to ask for a confirmation then provide a link to the product or service. Make sure you have them white list your email so that future correspondence does not end up in the junk.

Now your email follow up series begins. The most efficient way to manage this is by using an autoresponder product. If you are unfamiliar with this go to Awber or GetResponse to get more information. Put simply they automate the sending of your emails.

The first email should be sent immediately after your customer took action. Welcome them again and re-assure them that they have made a good decision in purchasing your product or service. Again give them access to any download links and ask them to keep this email for future reference.

In the second email you should start with mentioning the product or service again and give a bit more detail on what they can expect from you in the future. This is a great way to start branding yourself and building your relationship with them.

In the third email you can begin to recommend other products or services you offer as well as other affiliates. If you start too soon pitching a product you run the risk of offending your new customer.

The forth email should be nothing more than an offer to assist them in anyway you can. Give them multiple ways to contact you and make VERY sure you let them know they are a valued customer.

Finally continue with this format for -well forever if you like or until they unsubscribe. It is very important to balance help and knowledge with sales offers. Keep all your correspondence casual not stuffy, and be honest. This is all about relationship building.

Follow these few simple suggestions and you will build a list of responsive buyers any top marketer will envy.