Another reader question

A reader asked my experience with Globalspec last week. I haven't paid to be listed there because I feel it wouldn't be effective for my products (capital equipment). I did refer the person to my previous post dissecting multiple issues with Globalspec.

But I think this person's own email shows a different side I hadn't considered to closely:

So many of the Globalspec leads are, well, useless. By that I mean when the sales forces called, the response was: a) they don't have a clue why they received this call b) they are not in the market for equipment c) no such phone number d) no such street address... yada, yada.

And the person goes on to say "?" and "n/a" are not words when used for a last name or city.

So, for Globalspec salespeople who ask us marketers if we know who is visiting our websites, we should be confident in saying "I don't know", because they don't either.

My advice to this person? My strategy is to give the 'suspect' enough information to decide that they are comfortable asking us for more information. What makes them comfortable enough to identify themselves as a prospect?

From my recent experiences in capital spending, I've found that becoming a prospect is an emotional risk, almost like asking someone out on a date, because you know that later you might have to tell this salesperson that you won't be buying from them. I'm a salesperson and I feel this way...imagine how an engineer feels.