Q: With so many companies embroiled in financial scandals

these days, trust has become a major issue. What should I do to build trust

among my employees?

Vivian M. Seely-Troiano, owner of Consulting for Performance

in Naples, answers:

Trust is key these days, especially when it comes to

improving performance. Research has shown that increasing the level of trust

results in greater employee retention, productivity and organizational

effectiveness, and decreases in absenteeism, time wasted and turnover.

When employees work in environments where they feel they are

trusted and respected and where they feel they can trust others, they become

satisfied with their jobs. As a result, employees are less likely to take time

off unnecessarily. They usually stay longer with an employer. They generally

feel more involved and responsible and take greater interest in their work.

In high-trust environments, employees are less likely to

waste time by reporting late to work, leaving early, taking extended breaks,

gossiping, sending personal e-mail messages and playing computer games during

work hours.

An important starting point in building trust is to assess

behavior in your workplace. Do you and your managers engage in open, honest

communication and do what you say you’re doing to do? Are you willing to share

information or do you keep employees in the dark?

Employees start to feel trusted when they are surrounded by

trust-building practices. Five critical behaviors are:

•Tell the truth.

• Communicate openly.

• Share information.

•Honor commitments.

•Admit mistakes.

One word of caution—this is not a quick fix. The key is

consistency. Trust is built one step at a time. Trust is also reciprocal. You

have to give it to get it. Unfortunately, it can be destroyed in an instant.

Therefore, it needs to be reinforced on a regular basis.

Seely-Troiano specializes in trust-related issues in the

workplace. She can be reached at (239) 596-9663.

Q: How can I make my e-mail marketing campaign a success?

Shelly J. Lucas, owner of LightningSeed Consulting, a Cape

Coral-based strategic marketing and communications firm, answers:

Many marketers are attracted to e-mail because it’s cheaper

than the U.S. Postal Service. According to Forrester Research, it typically

costs $5 to $7 to reach 1,000 people via e-mail while direct mail can run from

$500 to $700 per thousand pieces of mail. But affordability in itself doesn’t

make e-mail a successful marketing vehicle. It must generate responses and

result in a satisfying sales conversion or customer retention rate. Here are a

few simple steps to accomplish that:

Determine your objective. Do you want to acquire new

customers or retain current clients? Customer retention is a more effective use

of e-mail. According to Forrester, the cost per sale (the dollars it takes to

turn a sale) for retention e-mail is only $1. The cost per sale for acquisition

e-mail is $1,250. Click-through rates (the percentage of viewers clicking on

Web links in the e-mail) for retention e-mails average 15 percent, more than 30

times the rate for e-mails that aim to acquire new clients. This is not

surprising, given that only 14 percent of consumers are willing to receive

information from companies with which they do not have a relationship.

Use a good e-mail list. With consumer privacy concerns, it’s

important to ensure that you have a high- quality list.

If you’re purchasing a list from an outside vendor, protect

yourself from spreading spam by buying a permission-based list. Many e-mail

lists contain addresses that have been collected without consumer knowledge

through Web sites and chat rooms. Higher quality lists are composed of “opt-in”

consumers who have granted their permission to receive e-mail from third

parties. The best lists contain addresses derived from consumers who have twice

confirmed their desire to receive e-mails corresponding to their industry,

lifestyle or product/service interests.

Whether you’re using an in-house list, a purchased list, or

both, check for duplicate entries and typos. Find out when the list was

updated. About one-third of all e-mail addresses change each year.

In addition, be aware of how often the file has been used.

That can help determine the level of list fatigue. People who have been

repeatedly solicited may not respond.

Personalize it. Using the recipient’s name can increase

click-through rates by as much as 30 percent, according to industry experts.

The most effective, and the most challenging to execute efficiently, is

segmented content. For example, messages are tailored to distinct groups, such

as buyers and non-buyers. A company may then choose to target subgroups within

these segments. For example, you might target buyers who have recently

purchased Product A, initiating a promotion for related Product B.

Some lists now provide enhanced customer data that can be

used to personalize a message. The data include demographic information (age,

gender and income), interests, hobbies and purchasing intent. Some lists go as

far as to identify the Internet connection speed of individual e-mail users—a

detail that may impact your decision to use technologies that are difficult for

dial-up users to download, such as streaming video.

Test, test, test. While a direct mail promotion can take

four to six weeks to complete, an e-mail campaign takes approximately five to

seven business days. The turnaround allows you to test versions of subject

lines, copy or design.

Calculate your timing. Consider the planned marketing

activities prior to, during and after the e-mail effort. Is your e-mail message

consistent with these other marketing activities? What is and will be happening

in the industry and in the marketplace?

Many people want to know the best day to send their e-mails.

While this information isn’t infallible, industry studies identify Tuesday as

the most popular day. For business-to-business e-marketing messages, Wednesday

is the second most responsive day. For business-to-consumer mailers, Monday takes

the second spot.

Measure your response. While direct mail responses arrive an

average of three to six weeks after the mail drop, responses from e-mail

recipients usually arrive within 48 hours. Watch the number and percentage of

click-throughs to the Web site promoted in the e-mail, the number and

percentage of consumer replies, and the number and percentage of sales.

Respect the recipient. If you’re using a list of opt-in

names, let your recipients know that. Also, include a link to the privacy policy

on your Web site. Don’t forget to provide recipients with a way to opt out if

they want to stop receiving your e-mails.

Lucas can be reached at (239) 980-0884 or

lucass@lightning-seed.com.