GoProposal didn't push sales. Instead, they focused on developing prospects' understanding of the problem through content like books. This educated them into becoming better customers who signed up faster, stayed longer, and spent more, as they were primed for the solution.

A common fear of offering free value is attracting unqualified leads. The solution is to gatekeep the lead magnet. Use a simple form or dropdown to qualify prospects based on key criteria *before* giving them access, ensuring your time and resources are spent only on potential customers.

The amount of time a prospect spends with your content is the key predictor of how much money they will ultimately spend. Structure all marketing to maximize this engagement time, as it directly builds purchase intent and trust.

Executive teams often create an ICP based on a 'wishlist' of big logos. The most accurate ICP is actually found by analyzing your first-party CRM data. Examining patterns across both close-won and close-lost deals reveals surprising truths about which customer segments are actually the best fit for your solution.

Free offers attract high volume but often low quality. Counter this by adding strategic friction—like multi-step forms or forced video consumption—to weed out uncommitted prospects. The goal is finding the sweet spot that maximizes qualified leads without losing high-value but lazy prospects.

Many salespeople fill pipelines with leads showing mere interest. Elite performers differentiate this from true buyer intent—the willingness to buy now. They actively disqualify prospects who lack intent, allowing them to focus on fewer, more qualified opportunities and avoid wasting time on conversations that won't convert.

Ditch the aspirational "Ideal Client Profile," which represents a rare, perfect-world scenario. Instead, build a "Target Client Profile" that defines which customers will perceive the most meaningful value from your offering. This provides a realistic, operational benchmark for qualifying leads.

Instead of automatically disqualifying leads with generic email addresses, track their behavior. A user with a Gmail address who clicks a link about "what to look for when hiring" is showing strong buying signals, making them a qualified lead worth a salesperson's time.

The startup Tour requires users to enter a phone number and a texted code to unlock full video tours. This small amount of friction effectively weeds out competitors, scammers, and casual browsers, ensuring the sales team only engages with high-intent prospects.