That's why the cornerstone to creating an ongoing marketing relationship with your prospects and clients is to build a permission-based email list.

Only when people have given you their permission to market to them, and you have their name and email address, can you start to have any kind of business relationship with them.

In order to build a hot and steamy list....or at least a satisfied and happy list of prospective and current customers, you need to strategically use every point of contact with people.

Here are some suggestions of different ways you can get people to opt-in to your list:

* make sure you have an opt-in box/sign-up form on the top of every page of your website

* advertise your opt-in form when you ship products - include it in a postcard or a colored one-pager included in the shipping box/envelope

* include a "send to a friend" option with your ezine, special reports and so on

* have the link to your free-giveaway/ezine sign-up form in your resource box at the end of any articles you distribute to article submission sites and other people's ezines

* give information on how people can sign up for an email subscription with all your print ads and direct mail

* have your opt-in message and box on your shopping cart pages when people purchase something

* have email signatures on all email being sent out by you and employees to have a one-line blurb about signing up for the company email newsletter or free report * include information and link to your ezine/free report opt-in page in any press releases you send out

* add sign-up information to invoices, warranty and product registration cards

* have call center and sales staff ask people if they'd like to receive ezines and informational emails - whenever they're talking to a prospect or customer over the phone

* promote your free-giveaway and provide sign up information at all your in-person meetings, workshops, trade shows and presentations

* promote your ezine or free special report in consumer and trade publications, other company's publications, industry sites and directories

* add the opt-in box to any reports, white papers and registration forms you send out

* include information on how to opt-in to your ezine or free-giveaway on any surveys you send out to people

As you can see, there are many places of contact with your prospects and clients where you can tell them about your free-giveaway, special report or ezine subscription. Take advantage of these opportunities to add people to your email list - so that you can ensure a profitable and productive marketing relationship between you.