In the U.S., I can't speak for abroad, most likely if your grocery store offers it, you've signed up for the "cash back" card, the little card they scan to "save you money." But what did that little card really accomplish for the store?

It gave them access to YOU! Now, whenever they have a special or send out coupons, etc., they are free to contact you via the postal service. What a great, silent business tool!

My good friend Raymond McNally of RTD Websolutions, http://www.mywizardads.com/RD/RTD.htm recently compared online marketing to visiting a grocery store. Forget what you came there to BUY, there's more at work here then meets the eye.

The "outside the box" world has been doing this a long time - collecting names, addresses, phone numbers for contacting, and then staying in contact with, their potential market.

So is online any different? No, it is not.

I'm still amazed when I visit many websites that the owner has no method in place to collect my name and email address. Hey, I'm stopping by, maybe not buying right now, but in a second I'll be gone. Shouldn't you make the attempt to see if I'll give you permission to contact me? Believe me, if you are letting those surfers slip out the door without even asking them for their permission, you are wasting traffic!

And it's so simple to set up! Just choose any free or paid autoresponder, my personal favorite is http://www.mywizardads.com/RD/PF.htm, follow the setup screens (see next paragraph), copy the code into your HTML webpage, upload it to your site, and presto! you're on your way to creating a mailing list of potential customers. And the autoresponder is virtually a self- maintaining program. Subscribes and unsubscribes process quickly and quietly, the work is done for you!

While in your autoresponder program, go to the "create your messages" portion and insert your follow-up series. Schedule your first mailing for the next day, and then a follow up to that one say 5 to 7 days after, etc., and send them your first quick, "Hi, thanks for dropping by my website! If you have any questions..." This also allows you free access to put into the follow-up some of those great program and product links you'd like them to purchase (the famous "backend" sale). Just don't forget to always include an unsubscribe link in every mailing.

Do take the time to create your own "grocery store scanner card." Get your visitor's information! See what creating a mailing list and following up on your visitors can do for you!