Anne - I do not know of a service that offer that. - Mike

What is the best software to use for a blog if you plan to include a short registration for white papers?

I for one do not feel comfortable when someone asks me a lot of questions.
It seems that they don't trust me. But more than that, i'm a private person.
Can't people be kinder and not ask questions unless they have a more practical reason than to ask questions merely out of curiosity? What ever happened to "a right to know"? There's an attitude by people to act like they are in authority over you simply because you come to them for some kind of service. Microsoft is a prime example. Authority is too often assumed and
imposed. No one has authority except the individual person to exert when
he or she has to defend their rights. Authority is earned through performance.
The asking of questions should be preceded by permission received.
kindness and diplomacy are the prerequisites of a positive relationship.
Sincerely, Doug Rosbury

Ted - See http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/19/keep-it-short/ for the study. - Mike

Hi Mike. I am enjoying your blog.

I'd be interested in seeing the study you mention.

It seems that other than number of questions asked, the types of questions might also be more demanding on the prospect's ability or willingness to share information.

For example. For me, sharing my home phone number is more sensitive than sharing my business email address. For some, asking for when they plan to make the purchase is less of an intrusion than asking for their annual budget. And so the list goes on. In a sense, when asked too early in the selling process, some questions are deal killers. So even one of those in the mix will make the other five questions irrelevant to the prospect.

I really wish prospects would divulge their planning, research and creative budgets to me even before telling me their name! That would sure eliminate a lot of wasted time and energy from where I sit. But the whole affair is give and take.

When selling a service or product, the company must essentially sell the prospect on providing the information needed to qualify them as someone the organization can help.

Hi Ted;

Thanks for your response.

I have seen studies that show that you should keep your questions to around six.

Anything more and you might have people making stuff up just to get access to the paper.

Mike

It is true that the quality of the leads will increase as you get answers to such questions as buying intention, buying time, budget and so forth.

But here's the problem. The willingness to answer such questions indicates the prospect's commitment level. Lead quality increases but the volume of potential clients decreases quickly.

As a direct marketer, our industry classifies leads as tight or loose. By asking questions, you tighten the lead. The key is to maintain some balance to make your selling process as efficient as possible without cutting off your lead flow.

I do agree that most companies tend to go overboard and do not let the white paper itself do some of the selling. Think of selling as a process that takes a prospect from slightly interested to a loyal customer. Customers rarely come full blown. You have to give the white paper inquirer a chance to get to know who you are and what you can do for them.

Distribute as many white papers as possible. The white paper instrument then plays a key role by asking for additional response to keep the relationship building process going.

To increase your ability to generate new business from these contacts, I would go beyond the white paper effort by asking for a means to follow up each contact. Reward prospects who provide their email address with another white paper. And do make a point of telling them that you have a strong privacy policy in place.