Lead-gen alert: B2B prospects are "sick and tired of the sneaky ways being used to get their information so a salesperson can 'help' them," writes Dale Underwood in a post at the B2B Conversations Now blog. Prospects are skeptical of requesting information at B2B websites, says Underwood, because too many companies "pounce on incoming leads and simply scare them off."

Well, there's a simple way to solve this problem: Just put down the phone. Do not call a prospect until you've delivered on a request made at your website, he advises.

Example: Underwood outlines an appropriate process for responding to a request for a quote at a B2B site:

• The request is logged in and routed to "the appropriate person or group" for approval.
• If the request is approved, the quote is sent. But no calls are made before the quote is sent.
• A "courtesy email" is sent to the prospect 10 or 15 minutes after the quote has been sent.

Underwood favors sending a follow-up email over making a phone call, and offers sample email messaging that has worked for his firm:

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