passport size

my pic

One mind blowing interview

Interviewer : Tell me about yourself.
Candidate: I ......am Rameshwar Kulkarni. I did my Tele Communication engineering from BabanRao Dhole-Patil Institute of Technology.

Interviewer : BabanRao Dhole-Patil Institute of Technology? I had never heard of this college before!
Candidate : Great! Even I had not heard of it before getting an admission into it ..
What happened is – due to cricket world cup I scored badly! in 12th.I was getting a paid seat in a good college. But my father said (I prefer to call him ‘baap’) – “I can not invest so much of money”.(The baap actually said – “I will never waste so much of money on you”). So I had to join this college. Frankly speaking this name – BabanRao Dhole-Patil, can at the most be related to a Shetakari Mahavidyalaya

Interviewer: ok, ok. It seems you have taken 6 years to complete your engineering.
Candidate : Actually I tried my best to finish it in 4 years. But you know, these cricket matches and football world cup, and tennis tournaments. It is difficult to concentrate. So I flunked in 2nd and 3rd year. So in all I took 4 + 2 = 7 years.

Interviewer: But 4+2 is 6.
Candidate: Oh, is it ? You know I always had KT in maths. But I will try to keep this in mind. 4+2 is 6, good, thanks. These cricket matches really affect exams a lot.. I think they should ban it .

Interviewer : Good to know that you want cricket matches to be banned.
Candidate : No, no… I am talking about Exams!!

Interviewer: Ok, What is your biggest achievement in life?
Candidate : Obviously, completing my Engineering. My mom never thought I would complete it . In fact, when I flunked in 3rd year, she was looking for a job for me in BEST (Bus
corporation in Maharashtra ) through some relative.

Interviewer : Do you have any plans of higher study?
Candidate: he he he.. Are you kidding? Completing ‘lower’ education it self was so much of pain!!

Interviewer : Let’s talk about technical stuff. On which platforms have you worked?
Candidate : Well, I work at SEEPZ, so you can say Andheri is my current platforms. Earlier I was at Vashi center. So Vashi was my platform then. As you can see I have experience of different platforms! (Vashi and Andheri are the places in Mumbai)

Interviewer : And which languages have you used?
Candidate : Marathi, Hindi, English. By the way, I can keep quiet in German, French, Russian and many other languages.

Interviewer: Why VC is better than VB?
Candidate : It is a common sense – C comes after B. So VC is a higher version than VB. I heard very soon they are coming up w it h a new language VD!

Interviewer: Do you know anything about Assembly Language?
Candidate: Well, I have not heard of it . But I guess, this is the language our ministers and MPs use in assembly.

Interviewer : What is your general project experience?
Candidate : My general experience about projects is – most of the times they are in pipeline!

Interviewer: Can you tell me about your current job?
Candidate: Sure, Currently I am working for Bata Info Tech ltd. Since joining BIL, I am on Bench. Before joining BIL, I used to think that Bench was another software like Windows.

Interviewer : Do you have any project management experience?
Candidate: No, but I guess it shouldn’t be difficult. I know Word and Excel. I can talk a lot. I know how to dial for International phone call and use speaker facility. And very important – I know few words like – ‘Showstoppers ‘ , ‘hot fixes’, ‘SEI-CMM’, ‘quality’, ‘version control’, ‘deadlines’ , ‘Customer Satisfaction’ etc. Also I can blame others for my mistakes!

Interviewer: What are your expectations from our company?
Candidate : Not much.
1. I should at least get 40,000 in hand..
2. I would like to work on a live EJB project. But it should not have deadlines. I personally feel that pressure affects natural talent.
3. I believe in flexi-timings.
4. Dress Code is against basic freedom, so I would like to wear t-shirt and jeans.
5. We must have sat-sun off. I will suggest Wednesday off also, so as to avoid breakdown due to overwork.
6. I would like to go abroad 3 times a year on short term preferably 1-2 months) assignments. Personally I prefer US, Australia and Europe. But considering the fact that there are Olympics coming up in China in the current year, I don’t mind going there in that period. As you can see I am modest and don’t have many expectations. So can I assume my selection?

Interviewer : he he he ha ha ha. Thanks for your interest in our
organization. In fact I was never entertained so much before. Welcome to INFOSYS.

The fellow was appointed in a newly created section ‘Stress Management’ in the HRD of Infosys.

So Excellence is not the only thing Needed. Its the Unique Quality of a Person which can let anyone to Success. Work on Your own Field rather then following somebody else's Path
Share this Story with your Friends and Inspire People.

Tips for effective presentations

1. Preparation and knowledge (of subject and the presentation itself) are the pre-requisites for a successful presentation, which importantly produce confidence and control, in turn important for relaxing the presenter, and the audience.
2. As a presenter, remember and apply Eleanor Roosevelt's maxim that "no-one can intimidate me without my permission". When you are a presenter you are in charge. The audience generally accepts this, and you are within your rights to control anyone who does not.
3. Remember also that "Depth of conviction counts more than height of logic, and enthusiasm is worth more than knowledge", (which is apparently attributed to David Peebles, about whom I have no further details - please let me know if you do). Passion is therefore a very powerful component in any successful presentation.
4. Good presenting is about entertaining as well as conveying information. As well, people retain more if they are enjoying themselves and feeling relaxed. So whatever your subject and audience, try to find ways to make the content and delivery enjoyable - even the most serious of occasions, and the driest of subjects, can be lifted to an enjoyable or even an amusing level one way or another with a little research, imagination, and humour/humor.
5. Enjoyment and humour are mostly in the preparation. These effects are not easily produced spontaneously. You don't need to be a natural stand-up comedian to inject enjoyment and humour into a presentation or talk. It's the content that enables it, which is very definitely within your control.
6. Research and studies generally indicate that in presentations you have between 4 - 7 seconds in which to make a positive impact and good opening impression, so make sure you have a good, strong, solid introduction, and rehearse it until it is 'second nature' to you and an action of 'unconscious competence'.
7. Try to build your own credibility in your introduction, and create a safe comfortable environment for your audience, which you will do quite naturally if you appear to be comfortable yourself.
8. Smiling helps a lot. It will relax you and the audience. In addition to giving you a relaxed calm appearance, smiling actually releases helpful 'happy' chemicals into your nervous system, and makes you feel good.
9. So does taking a few deep slow breaths make you feel relaxed - low down from the pit of your stomach - before you take to the stage.
10. Avoid starting with a joke unless you are supremely confident - jokes are high risk things at the best of times, let alone at the start of a presentation.

I was sent this excellent and simple idea for a presentation - actually used in a job interview - which will perhaps prompt similar ideas and adaptations for your own situations.
At the start of the presentation the letters T, E, A, and M - fridge magnets - were given to members of the audience.
At the end of the presentation the speaker made the point that individually the letters meant little, but together they made a team.
This powerful use of simple props created a wonderful connection between start and finish, and supported a concept in a memorable and impactful way. (Thanks P Hodgson)

N.B. There is a big difference between telling a joke and injecting enjoyment and humour (US spelling, humor) into your talk. Jokes are risky. Enjoyment and humour are safe. A joke requires quite a special skill in its delivery. Joke-telling is something of an art form. Only a few people can do it well without specific training. A joke creates pressure on the audience to laugh at a critical moment. A joke creates tension - that's why it's funny (when it works). This tension equates to an expectation in the listener, which produces a small degree of pleasure when the joke works well, but a very unhelpful awkwardness if the joke is not well-delivered or well-received. A joke also has the potential to offend, and jokes are culturally very sensitive - different people like different jokes. Even experienced comedians can 'die' on stage if their jokes and delivery are at odds with the audience type or mood. On the other hand, enjoyment and humour are much more general, they not dependent on creating a tension or the expectation of a punchline. Enjoyment and humour can be injected in very many different ways - for example a few funny quotes or examples; a bit of audience participation; an amusing prop; an amusing picture or cartoon; an amusing story (not a joke). Another way to realise the difference between jokes and enjoyment is consider that you are merely seeking to make people smile and be mildly amused - not to have them belly-laughing in the aisles.
11. Apologising to the audience can also affect the moods and atmospheres of presentations...
Generally try to avoid starting a presentation with an apology - unless you've really made a serious error, or an apology is part of your plans, or an intentional humorous device. Usually audiences will forgive you far more than you forgive yourself. Apologising for trivial matters can cause audiences to feel uncomfortable, and may also give the impression that you are not in control or confident.
If you do have to apologise for something, make the apology briefly and clearly, and if possible try to make light of it (unless it's really serious of course).
It is normal to make mistakes, and even the most experienced professional speakers and presenters make mistakes, so just relax and keep calm if (when) you make one.
In acknowledging minor mistakes it is usually better to keep the mood light and relaxed, with phrases such as (or similar approaches):
"Observant delegates among you perhaps will have noticed (refer to the error)..."
or
"Welcome everyone. Who among you has noticed my deliberate mistake?..."
or
"Welcome everyone. You might have noticed the experimental 'deliberate mistake' icebreaker this morning (refer to the mistake). Could you split into groups of three; analyse the situation, and prepare a two-minute presentation as to how the 'corrective-action loop' might be applied to minimize the chances of this happening again...... No, seriously..."
12. Try to start on time even if some of the audience is late. Waiting too long undermines your confidence, and the audience's respect for you.
13. The average attention span of an average listener is apparently (according to various sources I've seen over the years) between five and ten minutes for any single unbroken subject. Younger 'Playstation' and 'texter' generations will have even less tolerance than this, so structure your content accordingly.
14. Any audience will begin to wriggle and feel less comfortbale in their seats after about 40 minutes of stting listening/watching. So presentations which are longer than this time should include a reason for the audience to move a little, or ideally stand up and move about, after about 40 minutes.
15. Break up the content so that no single item takes longer than a few minutes, and between each item try to inject something amusing, amazing, remarkable or spicy - a picture, a quote, a bit of audience interaction - anything to break it up and keep people attentive.
16. Staying too long (ten minutes or more) on the same subject in the same mode of delivery will send people into a trance-like state, when they are not properly listening, watching or concentrating on the presentation - often called the MEGO state (My Eyes Glaze Over). So break it up, and inject diversions and variety - in terms of content and media (the different ways you can communicate to people or engage their interest).
Using a variety of media and movement will maintain maximum interest.
Think of it like this - the audience can be stimulated via several senses - not just audio and visual (listening and watching) - consider including content and activity which addresses the other senses too - touch certainly - taste maybe, smell maybe - anything's possible if you use your imagination. The more senses you can stimulate the more your audience will remain attentive and engaged.
17. You can stimulate other things in your audience besides the usual 'senses'.
You can use content and activities to stimulate feelings, emotions, memories, and even physical movement.
Simply asking the audience to stand up, or snap their fingers, or blink their eyes (assuming you give them a good reason for doing so) immediately stimulates physical awareness and involvement.
Passing several props or samples around is also a great way to stimulate physical activity and involvement.
18. Quotes are a wonderful and easy way to stimulate emotions and feelings, and of course quotes can be used to illustrate and emphasise just about any point or concept you can imagine.
Research and collect good quotations and include then in your notes. Memorise one or two if you can because this makes the delivery seem more powerful.
See the funny quotations and inspirational quotes webpages for ideas and examples.
Always credit the source of quotes you use.
Interestingly, Bobby Kennedy once famously failed to credit George Bernard Shaw when he said that "Some men see things as they are and ask 'why?'; I dare to dream of things that never were and ask 'why not?'."
19. Failing to attribute a quote undermines a speaker's integrity and professionalism. Conversely, giving credit to someone else is rightly seen as a positive and dignified behaviour.
Having quotes and other devices is important to give your presentation depth and texture, as well as keeping your audience interested... "If the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer you'll treat everything as a nail." (Abraham Maslow)
20. So don't just speak at people. Give them a variety of content, and different methods of delivery - and activities too if possible.
21. Be daring and bold and have fun. Use props and pass them around if you can. The more senses you can stimulate the more fun your audience will have and the more they'll remember.
22. Some trainers of public speaking warn that passing props around can cause a loss of control or chaos. This is true, and I argue that it's good. It's far better to keep people active and engaged, even if it all needs a little additional control. Better to have an audience slightly chaotic than bored to death.
23. Planned chaos is actually a wonderful way to keep people involved and enjoying themselves. Clap your hands a couple of times and say calmly "Okay now - let's crack on," or something similarly confident and un-phased, and you will be back in control, with the audience refreshed for another 5-10 minutes.
24. Create analogies and themes, and use props to illustrate and reinforce them.
For example a bag of fresh lemons works well: they look great, they smell great, they feel great, and they're cheap, so you can give out loads and not ask for them back - all you have to do is think of an excuse to use them!
25. Here are examples of fun, humour, interest, participation and diversion that you can use to bring your presentation to life, and keep your audience attentive and enjoying themselves. Some people in the presentation field refer to these presentational elements as 'spice'. Like the spice of a meal, spice in a presentation gives it a lift - stimulates the senses, and adds texture and richness. Here are examples of the many sorts of 'spice' elements you can add to a presentation:

• Stories
• Questions and 'hands-up' feedback
• Pictures, cartoons and video-clips
• Diagrams
• Video-clips and sound-clips
• Surveys and statistics
• Straw polls (a series of hands-up votes/reactions which you record and then announce results)
• Inviting a volunteer to take the stage with you (for a carefully planned reason)
• Audience participation exercises
• Asking the audience to do something physical (clapping, deep breathing, blinking, finger-snapping, shouting, and other more inventive ideas)
• Asking the audience to engage with each other (for example introductions to person in next chair)
• Funny quotations (be careful not to offend anyone)
• Inspirational quotations
• Acronyms
• Props, samples, physical objects (see the visual aids ideas page)
• Examples and case-study references
• Fables and analogies
• Prizes, awards and recognising people/achievements
• Book recommendations
• Fascinating facts (research is easy these days about virtually any subject)
• Statistics (which dramatically improve audience 'buy-in' if you're trying to persuade)
• Games and exercises and icebreakers
• Quizzes
• Quirky ideas - (use your imagination - have everyone demonstrate their ringtones at the same time, or see who has the fastest/slowest watch time, or the most pens in their pocket/bag - depending on the occasion linked or not to the subject)
• and your body language, and the changing tone and pitch of your voice.

26. For long presentations of more than an hour or two, such as training sessions, aim to have a 'rest' break every 45-60 minutes for people to get up and stretch their legs, otherwise you'll be losing their attention regardless of the amount of variety and diversion 'spice' you include.
27. Take the pressure off yourself by not speaking all the time. Get the audience doing things, and make use of all the communications senses available.
28. Interestingly the use of visual aids generally heightens retention of the spoken word - by 70% or more. The figure is demonstrably and substantially more than 70% for certain things, for example: try memorising a person's face from purely a verbal description, compared with actually seeing the face. A verbal or written description is only fractionally as memorable as actually seeing anything which has more than a basic level of complexity.
29. Some people refer to the following figures on the subject of information retention, which are taken from Edgar Dale's theory called the Cone of Experience:
Edgar Dale's Cone of Experience

• Read 10%
• Heard 20%
• Seen 30%
• Heard and Seen 50%
• Said 70%
• Said and Done 90%

N.B. The original work by Edgar Dale was considerably more than a line of statistics. The ideas date back to 1946, and are subject to debate and different interpretation. These figures should therefore be regarded as much more symbolic than scientifically accurate, especially when quoted out of the context of Edgar Dale's wider work.
30. So use visual aids a lot in your presentations. Your voice is not the only or main tool at your disposal. Get visuals working fully for you, and your presentations will be more engaging, and a lot easier for you to deliver and enjoy.

यहाँ  मैं  ऐसे  questions की  एक  छोटी  सी  list दे  रहा  हूँ :

• Tell me about Yourself ? / Walk me through you CV?/ Introduce yourself/ अपने  बारे  में  हमें  बताएं ?
• Do you want to ask any question? / क्या आप  कोई  प्रश्न    पूछना  चाहते  हैं  .  ( Inerview के  अंत  में  ये  पूछा  जा  सकता  है .)
• Tell us about your  current  job, what is your role?/  अपनी  मौजूदा  नौकरी  के  बारे  में  बताएं , आपका  काम  क्या  है ?
• Why do you want to join this company? / आप  ये  company क्यों  join करना  चाहते  हैं ?
• Why is there a gap in your studies/ job ? आपकी  पढाई /job में  gap क्यों  है ?
• Why do you want to leave your current job? / आप  अपनी  मौजूदा  नौकरी  क्यों  छोड़ना  चाहते  हैं ?
• What are your weaknesses / strengths ? / आपकी  weakness/ strength क्या  है ?
•  Why should we select you? /हम  आपका  चयन  क्यों करें  ?
•  Why did you chose this specialization? आपने  यह  specialization क्यों  किया ?
•  Why your marks are very low in xyz exam? Xyz exam में  आपके  marks इतने  कम  क्यों  हैं ?
• What has been your biggest achievement till date? / अब  तक  की  आपकी  सबसे  बड़ी  achievement क्या  रही  है ?

Regards
Vinod S Saini

http://www.hindisoch.com

http://www.hindisoch.com

Quotes

“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.”– Dennis P. Kimbro

“There is no royal road to anything. One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures.”– Josiah Gilbert Holland

“Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.”– William James

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me.”– Erma Bombeck

“The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.”– Will Rogers

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”– Will Rogers

“When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life is hard,’ I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what?’”– Sydney Harris

Benjamin Disraeli – British Prime Minister 1874-1880

“Nurture your mind with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes heroes.”               – Benjamin Disraeli

“The real opportunity for success lies within the person and not in the job.”                                    – Zig Ziglar

“Look at the sparrows; they do not know what they will do in the next moment. Let us literally live from moment to moment.”– Mahatma Gandhi

“Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.”– Ray Kroc

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”– Lao Tzu

“You may find the worst enemy or best friend in yourself.”– English Proverb

“Whoever loves much, performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.”– Vincent Van Gogh

Sir Winston Churchill – British Prime Minister

“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”– Winston Churchill

“The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving.”– Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Live each day as if your life had just begun.”– Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

“Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized. In the first, it is ridiculed. In the second, it is opposed. In the third, it is regarded as self evident.”– Arthur Schopenhauer

“Either you run the day, or the day runs you.”– Jim Rohn

“The difference between a successful person and others is not lack of strength not a lack of knowledge but rather a lack of will.”– Vince Lombardi

“If not us, who? If not now, when?”– John F. Kennedy

“Don’t worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.”– Jack Canfield

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”– Carl Bard

“Life has two rules: #1 Never quit #2 Always remember rule # 1.”– Unknown

“Some men see things as they are and say why – I dream things that never were and say why not.”– George Bernard Shaw

“The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.”– Arthur C. Clarke

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”– Bill Cosby

Ralph Waldo Emerson (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Many of life’s failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”– Thomas Edison

“Education costs money. But then so does ignorance.”– Sir Claus Moser

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”– Lao Tzu

“Every noble work is at first impossible.”– Thomas Carlyle

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”– John Wooden

“Defeat is not bitter unless you swallow it.”– Joe Clark

“Nobody ever wrote down a plan to be broke, fat, lazy, or stupid. Those things are what happen when you don’t have a plan.”– Larry Winget

“Rule #1 of life. Do what makes YOU happy.”– Unknown

“The best revenge is massive success.”– Frank Sinatra

“It is not enough to aim, you must hit.”– Italian Proverb

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”– Joshua J. Marine

“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”– Babe Ruth

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”– Joshua J. Marine

“An obstacle is often a stepping stone.”– Prescott

“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.”– Stephen Covey

Martin Luther King Jr.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”– Martin Luther King Jr.

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great makes you feel that you, too, can become great.”– Mark Twain

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”– Woody Allen

“I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me.”– Dudley Field Malone

“I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. Its because of them I’m doing it myself.”– Albert Einstein

“We become what we think about.”– Earl Nightingale

“The mind is everything. What you think you become.”– Buddha

16 proven techniques for better B2B sales leads generation with print advertising

If you want more sales leads, don’t use image ads

Have you seen the ads showing butterflies and oil wells co-existing, illustrating the oil company’s concern for the environment? This kind of advertising may do a lot to improve the company’s image, but it isn’t designed to generate B2B sales leads.

If B2B sales leads generation is what you want, focus your advertising’s message on the benefits and applications of your products or services. Then let the layout and design of your ads enhance your company’s image.

Put benefits in your headlines

If you put a benefit in the headline you’ll have a better chance of catching the reader’s attention and generating an inquiry or request for more information. If after reading the headline a reader can ask “so what?” you probably described a feature instead of a benefit. The answer to “so what?” is probably the benefit.

Talk about applications

If your product or service is ideal for specific applications, say so. When readers recognize their application for your product or service they will be more likely to respond. For example, you’re more likely to get an inquiry from someone in a medical records department of a hospital if they notice that your barcoding software is idea for tracking patient’s medical records.

Make your ads easy to skim

Everyone seems pressed for time these days, including the folks reading the trade publications you advertise in. With this in mind, make it easy for readers to “skim” your ads and still get the message.

Use bulleted copy, subheads and illustrations or photos to quickly communicate key points.

Testimonial ads are king

I’ve seen testimonial ads boost the number of B2B sales leads my clients’ ads generate by up to 700%.

Your prospects expect you to be biased. However, they trust their peers to tell it like it is. Use this to your advantage by including quotes from happy customers in your advertising. Or mention the companies you serve. Or use statistics like “chosen by 9 out of 10 design engineers.”

However, to be believable you have to be specific. For example, give the full name, title and company affiliation of the person being quoted. Or list the names of a few respected companies who use your products or services. If you use statistics, be sure to back them up by referencing the source of the data.

Fractional ads in every issue can be more cost-efficient

If you want B2B sales leads generation, your advertising needs to be present when your prospects are looking for solutions to their problems. So, if your budget is limited, rather than placing only a few full-page ads a year, consider running fractional ads in every issue. Having ads in every issue also makes your company look bigger and more successful.

Use “Wrap Ads” to get more bang for the buck

“Wrap Ads” are actually a number of fractional ads, designed to look like new product announcements, all run on a single page surrounding an “island” half-page ad. This format can also work for half-page and third-page ads. Although more common in tabloid-sized magazines, this type of ad works equally well in standard-sized publications.

My clients have found that wrap ads can pull up to 400% more inquiries than a single ad of the same size.

Make them an offer they can’t refuse

If you want your prospects to respond, you have to give them a convincing reason to do so. Keep the phrase “what’s in it for me?” in mind as you’re writing your ad’s call to action. It’s what your prospects are thinking as they decide whether or not they will take the time or effort to respond. It will have a noticeable effect on B2B sales leads generation.

Consider offering application notes showing how other buyers solved their problems using your product or service.

Offering a useful premium or advertising specialty can also significantly increase the number of responses. However, try to make sure your offer is of interest only to qualified prospects. For example, a tool for sizing rings would be an attractive offer only to people who use rings. However, everyone might want a free pocket screwdriver set and inquire only to get it, not because they have a need for your product or service.

Many of your prospects may want to try your product before they buy it. If you can cost-effectively offer samples or a demonstration CD, you will generate more inquiries as part of your B2B sales leads generation program.

Choose your words carefully

The word “free” is a powerful inquiry generator. Everyone wants something for nothing. Direct marketers have long known the power of this word. Take a look at just about any direct response ad and you’ll see it used.

“New” is another word that is sure to attract attention and generate more inquiries. Legally, however, you can only use “new” if it is new, and only for a limited period of time (usually 6 months). Check with your legal advisor.

Talk first person with the reader

Use words in your copy like “you” and “your” to focus on the readers’ needs rather than boasting about how good “we” and “our” products or services are. For example, the statement “You will get the work done 25% quicker” is much stronger than “Our product is 25% faster than the competition.”

Ask for the order

Any experienced salesperson can tell you, you won’t get the order unless you ask for it.

Create benefit-oriented offers such as “call, write, fax, e-mail or visit our Web site today to request your free Component Selection Guide, designed to help you quickly determine which products best meet your barcoding needs.” Notice that even the words “Selection Guide,” as opposed to “brochure” or “catalog,” were chosen to offer the reader a benefit.

Give them a compelling reason to inquire right away

You’ll get more inquiries if you design your offer to reward those who inquire right away. For example, try something like “If you are one of the first 500 to inquire, we’ll also send you a free booklet entitled, “fifteen ways to cut your inventory costs.” Or “Request more information before December 31st, and we’ll include a coupon good for $500 worth of free accessories.”

Match your offers to where the reader is in the buying cycle

When prospects are just starting to gather information, they may need literature but are often not yet ready for a sales call. When it is almost time to buy, prospects are usually anxious to speak with your salespeople, reps, resellers or distributors, see a demonstration or discuss pricing.

You can significantly increase the number of inquiries you generate by making offers that have appeal to prospects in all phases of the sales cycle of B2B sales leads generation. For example, consider offering Selection Guides, application notes, a newsletter, a demonstration, a test or analysis, samples, a sales call or any combination thereof.

Merchandise your offer

Direct marketers have found that how you package the offer can be as important as the offer itself.

For example, if you’re offering literature or samples, include in the ad a small picture of what they’ll receive if they inquire. If you use a coupon, show a little pair of scissors cutting out the coupon. If you use 800 numbers in your ads, make sure the numbers are big and bold. That way they stand out and it’s clear that you want the prospect to call.

Don’t forget to mention all the ways they can inquire; “circle the number below, call, fax, contact us by e-mail or visit our Web site today for your free information kit.”

Make it easy for your prospect to respond

Offer multiple response devices so your prospects can choose the method they prefer.

For example, some people need your information right away, so they prefer to call or to go right to your Web site on the Internet. Some like the 24-hour convenience of faxing or e-mailing their requests. Others find it easier or more comfortable to use the magazine-provided reader service card, coupons or bound-in reply cards. Multiple choices have a better effect on B2B sales leads generation.

Art directors tend to hate coupons, but they work. One study I recall showed that the same ads with a coupon out-pulled versions without the coupon by as much as 13%.

If you publish phone numbers in your ads, be prepared to answer the phone during coast-to coast business hours.

Mention your Web site

Make it clear to readers that they can get the rest of the story about your products or services instantly by visiting your Web site. Then make sure your Web site makes it easy for them to find this information.

In addition, have an “Information Request” button on every page that takes them to a form that allows them to identify themselves and their needs, and to request that detailed information be faxed, downloaded as files or quickly mailed to them.

Consider using a unique web address for each ad you run so you’ll know where the inquiry came from. Ask your Webmaster about this. It is easy and inexpensive to accomplish.

The more of these proven techniques you can use, the better your results from B2Blead generation programs will be.