How to turn a 'No' into a 'Yes' - lead generation technique

Lead generation is the art of finding people ready to say yes. Most of my working life is about finding ways to get my client's web site visitors to initiate a serious business enquiry. In other words, to become a lead because they want to.

But what of the people who aren't ready to say yes? Is there a way to turn a 'No' into a 'Yes'?

The answer lies in understanding what 'No' really means. It could mean any of the following...

• I'm a no for now, and a yes in future (i.e. not ready to commit today)
  
• I'm a definite no for this, but am interested in a related product or service
  
• I'm a yes, but don't have the money
• I was merely curious, and will never be interested in this or anything related to it
  

Of these 4 different types of 'no', the first 3 imply there is still potential to do business. This is why it's always worth giving a prospect the option to click 'No'. For example...

Are you ready to get an extra serious business enquiry/day from your site? Yes No

A person answering 'no' to this question could easily be too busy to do this today, or be ready to get started but feel they don't have the money, or may have arrived at the site looking for confirmed appointments rather than leads.

By offering the prospect a chance to say 'No', we give ourselves another bite at the cherry. If a person answers 'No' to the above question, we can then ask...

Would the following be more useful to you?
A reminder next month when I have time to look at this
A low-cost way to get started
I want confirmed appointments rather than leads
Help with something else

Whatever they click on, you can then address that specifically. For example, if they click the 'Confirmed Appointments' option you might talk about a service offered by a highly successful affiliate, and offer to refer them. Assuming you get paid a referral commission, you can still make money from this prospect.

If the lead asks for a reminder, you can implement the following system...

• Email a useful but short piece of information every 7 days (to keep your company fresh in their mind)
• Email the reminder notice on day 28
• Follow up with a call on day 29 to check they received the reminder notice

If the lead is interested in a low-cost way to get started, you might offer an easy-payment plan, or a cut-down version of the service at a lower cost.

In other words, by offering the option of saying 'No', you give yourself a second chance to convert the lead.