With so many disruptive, addictive technologies such as Email, IM, RSS and Cell Phones prospects are distracted like never before—and chances are, so are you!
So what can you do?
Key Tip: If you provide something of value to prospects, they will give you their respect, loyalty, time AND ultimately their business.
Consider the facts. Studies show that execs value Business Briefings (aka White Papers) most—more than case studies, product literature, articles from industry journalists, analyst reports, company websites, webcasts, blogs, online video and podcasts.
One thing is for sure – senior-most executives hate to be sold. They want to be in control and make their own decisions to buy. They view themselves as thought leaders and and love to have a “trusted advisor” (like you) nearby that they can count. So if you give away some of that proprietary, hard-earned insight in the form of a business briefing or ebook, you actually can propel yourself to a position of thought leader/trusted advisor and attract opportunity. This may seem counterintuitive but it works.
Of course there is a right way and a wrong way to do this… What’s the right way? Give your readers plenty of sample content before they are asked to trade their personal contact information for access. So many web sites ask for detailed information and lose valuable leads. Make this an interactive, engaging process that gives more value than you get and they will come in droves.
This idea comes from the video game market. Remember playing video game demos that provided you access to the first two levels? The same strategy can be applied to free business briefings. When your registration form finally appears, this is the prime opportunity to ask readers if they want to join your email opt-in list, in addition to receiving the briefing. Try it and you’ll see.
