Monday, May 21, 2007

The $2000 consultation...why I wish I hadn't passed on it.

Today I got a phone call from a nice gentleman offering me a free Internet Marketing consultation. He said he had a few quick questions, if I didn't mind, so I decided to see what was included in this free consultation. Some of his questions were perfectly sensible, like what kind of Marketing I had done, and what methods of advertising I was using.

After discussing the various methods of advertising I am currently using, we touched on the subject of keywords and their relation to PPC advertising. Now, I don't use PPC advertising, primarily because I have no budget for it, and also because I don't feel I know enough about the subject to use it. So this gentleman went on to explain to me how important it was to start a PPC campaign, and I explained to him that I have a budgetary deficit, and if I can't get it for free, I won't be using it for the time being.

Then we discussed lead generation. Those of you that know me know that I have some very specific opinions about lead generation. I feel that the entire market is way too focused on generating downlines, and that the focus needs to be shifted to developing a customer base. After all, the largest downline in the world is useless unless you have someone to sell your products or services to, right? Anyway, this gentleman told me I should be building two lists: one for growing my organization, and another to build up a customer base. I then reminded them that I was aware of that, and that I personally think that the downline is much over-rated, especially all your efforts are focused on building a large list of referrals. He asked me if I had ever bought any pre-qualified, targeted leads, and I again reminded him that I had little or no money to spend on such things.

Shortly after that, we started wrapping up, since I am foremost a wife, and I needed to start dinner. The gentleman then gave me a list of options to decide if I wanted to follow up and purchase his mentoring package. Now, I am sure that this mentoring package was great, but I still have the same budget I had when we started our conversation.
When he informed me that this program was $2000, I almost fell out of my chair. I informed him that I would probably never have that kind of money to invest in mentoring, or at least until I graduate from college. So he offered me a mini-package for $500. I really would have liked to be able to afford this, but again, my shoestring budget just can't handle that kind of expense. I politely thanked him for his offer and told him I would discuss it with my husband, and get back to him later. He promised to email me some pertinent information about the program, including exactly what it included and the payment options, and we got off the phone.

I bet you are wondering by now why I have told you this long convoluted story. You see, even though I wasn't able to afford the mentoring package, this gentleman was still able to teach me two important things about lead generation.

First, this gentleman knew from the start that I had little or no budget to work with. He could have politely ended the call right there, but he persisted until the very end. You see, he knew that if he persevered, that I may just reconsider having the money for what he was offering. He was polite and informative, and knew what questions to ask and how to ask them. He demonstrated the right way to talk to a lead on the phone, and managed to convey that knowledge to me, even if he didn't intend it to turn out that way.

Secondly, when this gentleman discovered I wouldn't be able to purchase his first offer, he was ready with a second offer. Even though that offer was still outside the bounds of my financial ability, I felt it showed that he had listened to my objections and provided a solution. This showed great business acumen, and also gave me the feeling of being an important person.

I hope this gentleman does follow through on his promise to send me the information on his second offer. If I ever do have an extra $500 to put into my marketing budget, his program may just be what I need to take my business concern to the next level. I do know that the next time I am calling leads on the phone, I will remember how this gentleman treated me today, and do my best to treat the person on the other end of my phone call in the same manner.

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