Observers of the Net have long considered e-mail the medium's killer application. The Eng@ged Customer, by Hans Peter Brondmo, shows why this may be even more relevant for e-commerce endeavors of the future--and sets out various ways that it can be utilized to develop "profitable, loyal and engaged" consumers today. "Whether you're sending individual customers their stock portfolio update at the end of each trading day, writing a gossip column on the music industry, sending special offers or promotions, publishing an industry newsletter, sending a purchase confirmation, or running a gift reminder-and-product-suggestion service, e-mail marketing can do the job," writes Brondmo, founder of a firm that has helped design and implement such programs for companies ranging from Amtrak to Victoria's Secret. A section illustrating how e-mail can foster the "age-old principles [of] personal service and communication" to more fully engage customers, and one with speculations on the future implications of the practice, are sandwiched around the meat of Brondmo's book: specifics on using e-mail to acquire, convert, and retain real business. The highly detailed advice, consistently delivered with the necessary sensitivity to spam, privacy, and other concerns, should prove instructive to executives and managers at every level. --Howard Rothman

In the age of the Internet, how do you keep your customers coming back--again and again--when your competitors are always just one click away? How do you turn casual, anonymous surfers into profitable, "engaged" customers?

The answers to these questions can be found in The Eng@ged Customer, written by Hans Peter Brondmo, one of the Internet's best known and most successful direct marketing experts. In this new marketing classic Brondmo introduces readers to the new rules of Internet direct marketing and shows them how to use email to build service rather than marketing relationships.

A visionary in both the technology and marketing arenas, Brondmo has shown more company executives than anyone how to build lasting, profitable, one-on-one relationships with customers on the Internet. His client list includes such household names as Palm, Hewlett-Packard, Victoria's Secret, Amtrak, Wells Fargo Bank, OfficeMax, Wegmans Food Markets, as well as such Internet leaders as CDNow, E-Trade Women.com, Petopia.com, Sparks.com, and eBags.com.

The Eng@ged Customer makes Brondmo's expertise available to executives, managers, and marketers in both Old and New Economy businesses. The book combines a strategic perspective with tactical guidance, showing where and how to invest in order to build an Internet direct marketing program, and how to plan, develop, and implement your program for maximum success.

While sending email messages to customers may sound like a simple process, retailers and marketers all over the world have discovered just how difficult it is to do it well. Let Brondmo show you how todesign email communications and marketing programs that have your customers complaining if they don't hear from youunderstand and manage customer information so that you can "get to know" each and every customer--even if you've got millionsavoid spam and the potential nightmare of privacy violationsanticipate the organizational impact of customer-focused Internet direct marketingdefine, measure, and track your success.

Whether you are an executive or a manager, The Eng@ged Customer will show you:how to keep your customers coming backhow to rise above the increasing Internet clutterhow to become the trusted voice that your customers rely on.