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Doesn’t matter what you do–spinal surgeon, marketing consultant, iPod hacker, speech coach–you’ve probably experienced a common problem at cocktail parties and networking meetings. There you are trying to get to know people (or just plain relax with a drink) and you get someone who comes up to you and wants free advice.

If you’re a doctor, and someone asks you for medical advice, you can always tell them, “Fine, just take off your clothes and I’ll examine you.” Doesn’t work so well for the rest of us. Neither does wearing a t-shirt that says, “No I won’t fix your computer right &^%*#! now” if you’re a geek. The polite brush-off is just something that will ultimately hurt your business in the long run, so what you need are some strategies. (For more on this, check out an interesting article in the NYT, which unfortunately doesn’t go far enough in giving practical advice on the lead gen front.)

The first thing I do when people approach me about how to fix an online marketing problem is to start asking them questions. I usually start with who they’re trying to reach, what product or service offering they’re trying to communicate, and what they’ve found to be the most effective hot buttons. By the time I get to about the third or fourth question the person who has approached me starts to realize that their request is pretty complicated. I time it such that just as the little light bulb goes off I hand them my business card and encourage them to contact me at my office the next business day.

For others, I encourage them to go to my web site and sign up at our newsletter. There are already lots of articles on there, with more coming via email every 2-3 weeks or so. They can also register for free teleseminars, read my blog postings, take a free email course, and even become a member at our Lead Generation Center.

The point is, have something ready for the curious. Give them a little taste of your process–think of it as a sample. But have some solid boundaries in place. Reserve the in-depth discussions for business hours, or get them to sign up at your web site. (By the way, I tell people directly, “Go to our web site and sign up for our FREE newsletter.” I give them a specific call to action, not “Go to our web site.”)

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