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Publisher's Note
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Top Do's and Don'ts for B2B Sales Lead Generation on the Internet

It is amazing how ham-fisted many B2B marketers are when using the Net as a lead generation tool. They either ask for the sale too soon -- or not at all. Some have great sales copy but a mealy-mouthed call to action.

Below are my Top Do's and Don'ts for getting B2B leads on the Internet:

• Do put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. Examine what their intentions might be. Are they just collecting information to put together a short list of possibilities? If so, you'll turn them off by trying to fast-forward them to a sale.

• Don't forget that B2B buyers are people, too. More often than not, it's basic human emotion that will drive a B2B sale, not just the cold facts. How often have you been in a job interview and thought to yourself "Can I really look at this guy's face everyday for the next 4 years?"

• Do your homework. Sit down with members of your audience and see how they look at your site and the sites of your competitors. This will give you an "outside-in" approach rather than the typical "inside-out" view - which is where most websites lose out.

• Don't talk at your site visitors. Almost all websites make this mistake. They speak in this phony, plastic "copy" voice that only sends the crap detectors up in an already suspicious medium. In short, be authentic.

• Do remember to request an email address. Not every visitor is ready to buy. Request an email address so he or she can hear from you at appropriate intervals. Give a real good reason to hand an email address over to you (presumably a perfect stranger) and make sure to display your privacy policy.

• Don't spam your house list. Once you have a list of email addresses, figure out what the appropriate frequency is for staying in touch. Too much is a turn-off. Too little and they'll forget who you are or that they signed up to your list months ago.

• Do take the relationship offline. In many B2B cases, a phone call will close the deal or at least accelerate the maturity of the relationship. The magic, chemistry, and spontaneity of human interaction trumps a website almost every time.

• Don't just get more traffic, get better traffic to your site. The Web is most often used for information gathering. Offer quality information that the search engines see and index, and make sure that your content is more appealing than anything else your prospects will see in search results. Make sure your site's content dovetails nicely into whatever product or service you are selling. Having a hard time figuring out what content you should create? Chances are it will flow naturally out of what you do. Identifying and packaging that content is something I can help you with on a consulting basis.

• Don't forget to ask for the sale. How many times have you been to a site and said to yourself, "How do these people make a living?" You're not alone. Make it clear what your agenda is and what you're selling. People's suspicions are lowered when they understand where you're coming from. Just remember, they're coming to your site with their own agenda. Taking care of their agenda first signals to them that you understand their needs. Once they see that you understand them, you'll have an easier time taking this relationship to the next level. LC

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