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I just attended a franchise seminar. The speaker represents a few hundred franchises that (he says) are hand picked. He has the prospect (aka victim?) answer some questions about themselves then he makes recomendations - based on your personality, capital situation, etc.. If you pick a franchise, then he does some due dilligence for you. If you both decide it's a good idea, he helps you get started. He says he offers this service free of charge, which means he gets a commission if he's able to sell you a franchise. Has anyone done this? Successfully? Unsuccessfully?

-- fender

Use the Web to Find Sales Leads

Job One in building a list of sales leads from your Web site is drawing people to it. But Job Two is getting them to leave contact information.

Worth Reading: The Quick Take from Kiplinger

November 2008

Joe Mullich

fuelNet Monthly

fuelNet Monthly is a marketing newsletter published by The Pohly Co. consulting firm and is a monthly contributor to Kiplinger Recommends. "9 1/2 Ways" is a monthly feature of the newsletter. Featured author Joe Mullich, a former editor of Business Marketing magazine, has contributed to more than 20 national publications and has won 25 journalism awards. His work has appeared in Advertising Age, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Think Magazine and Creativity.

How many times have you found something potentially useful on the Internet and tried to download it, only to be faced with a request for information so long that you decide just to skip it? You are so far from alone that a term has been invented for the response: "friction."

Friction is bad news for a business Web site hoping to gather potential sales leads with such information, the singular goal of such a process. In the article "9 1/2 Ways to .... Generate More Sales Leads Online," the marketing newsletter fuelNet Monthly says companies are far more likely to get what they really need by simply sticking to basics: name, e-mail address and phone number.

Like the tip about avoiding friction, some of fuelNet's advice boils down to avoiding one of the cardinal rules of selling: Don't be a pain. Don't be pesky or pushy -- inform, don't sell. In fact, the newsletter says the most effective approach is to be as useful as possible so potential clients can get a better sense of what a business can do for them. Write relevant white papers (and include a useful snippet that requires no registration to read). Offer professional advice: One law firm providesa free consultation on a problem to those who provide and e-mail address and description of their legal concern.

FuelNet also suggests ways to drive traffic to your site. "Place your Web site’s URL in as many places as possible," it suggests. "That includes your e-mail signature and all social and business networking sites." Figure out which Web sites send the most visitors to yours -- and sink some of your money into them with ads or sponsored links. And when a potential client does register or seek information, act fast. Really fast. The chances of them responding to your follow-up plummet if they don't hear back in five minutes.

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