There was a recent post in the forum that I read that distinguished between prospecting and Soliciting. In such forums as you mention here it is soliciting that is equated with spamming. Everyone is involved in these forums to prospect.
I do three major things in this area of prospecting:
1. I try to build rapport. I ask questions and see who responds. I begin a conversation with that person and eventually it leads to exposure to my SFI business. But that exposure is now a response to an expressed need or desire and the prospect is much more responsive.
2. I offer value added content free. I offer people e-books I have written that explains Banner Advertising or Duplication, or Responsive Landing Pages. I have written this content and all my examples of how to do anything in the area of the report is contextually SFI. For example I share on why one SFI Banner is more Responsive than another. I explain split testing of emails and why this SFI email ad was better than that SFI email ad. etc.
3. I include as a soft sell ads for SFI, TC, EZ and PB with unrelated content that I may send a person. To illustrate: In a forum they may be discussing LinkedIn. I share a YouTube link so they can watch a short video on maximizing LinkedIn for business. Or perhaps building a great LinkedIn profile. The link to the YouTube is actually to a personal splash page presenting the Youtube nested in my ads.
These things people find helpful and unobtrusive. They are therefore much more responsive. And if they value the content I share they will begin to value my choices for the business I have chosen to engage in. And if they value my input they desire to be on my team.
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There was a recent post in the forum that I read that distinguished between prospecting and Soliciting. In such forums as you mention here it is soliciting that is equated with spamming. Everyone is involved in these forums to prospect.
I do three major things in this area of prospecting:
1. I try to build rapport. I ask questions and see who responds. I begin a conversation with that person and eventually it leads to exposure to my SFI business. But that exposure is now a ...more