50 marketing mistakes / Mistake #26
Mistake #26 of 50Don’t ask for too much information too soon.
Nobody should need to hand over their annual revenue to read a free book. Ask for less. Give them what they came for.
What it costs you
Every question costs you somebody.
Somebody is interested. They want the free checklist, the drawing, the first visit.
Then they see the form.
Name. Address. Birthday. Income. How did you hear about us. What are your goals. Box after box.
So they close the page, and walk away.
You didn’t lose them because they weren’t interested. You lost them because you asked for their life story before you gave them anything.
A real example
The clipboard at the health fair
Two financial planners have booths at the same health fair.
The first one has a clipboard with a full page of questions: income, savings, retirement date, phone, email, address.
People look at it, smile and keep walking.
The second one has a fishbowl and a stack of little cards: name, plus a phone number or email. “Drop your name in for a chance to win.”
By the end of the day, the fishbowl is full. Two days later, every one of those names gets a friendly call.
The first planner asked for everything and got almost nothing. The second asked for a name and got a conversation.
The income questions can wait. Get the name first.
Why it happens
Why the form keeps getting longer
Ask for less, and more people say yes.
Do this instead
Ask for just enough.
Ask for the least you need to follow up: a name and one way to reach them. Give them what they came for right away. Then learn the rest the way people always have, by talking to them.
| They want | Ask for |
|---|---|
| A free checklist or guide | An email address. That’s it. |
| Your drawing at the booth | Name, plus a phone number or email, on one small card |
| A reminder when service is due | Name, phone and the date |
| A first visit or free class | Name and phone, so you can confirm |
| Your newsletter | An email address, and maybe a first name |
| A real quote | Just the basics. Ask the rest on the call. |
Look at every form you have, on paper and online. For each box, ask: do I need this before I can follow up? If not, cut it. You can always ask later. You can’t follow up with someone who walked away.
Do this today
- 1
Open every sign-up form you have: website, booth, front counter.
- 2
Count the boxes on each one.
- 3
Cut every box you don’t need to follow up.
- 4
Call or email everyone who signed up this month, starting today.
Get the name. Give them what they came for. Then pick up the phone.
From the book
Chapter 21: Make Your Booth Look Like a Business
Starts on page 185. The whole chapter, plus 250+ ways to market your business, in the free book.
Download the free bookIdeas that fix it
Make it easy to stop and sign up.
Idea 223 · book page 373Branded Table Covers$100–$300 eachTurns any folding table into a professional booth with your logo across the front.
Idea 237 · book page 38010x10 Pop-Up Canopy$300–$900 eachYour name over your head at every fair, game and market, seen from across the field.
Idea 66 · book page 294Promotional Pens$0.30–$1.50 eachUseful, cheap, and passed from person to person.
Idea 170 · book page 346Premium T-Shirts$8–$20 eachSoft shirts get worn on weekends, not just at work.Want a plan that turns names into customers?
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