1.    Word's gotten out. This online business thing is the real deal, paying real money. The tenuous pussyfooters, spooked by dotcom bubbles and skeptical about online business have noticed, just as suddenly as they realized their cousins and coworkers were serious about Internet romance, the shiny new cars sitting outside their too-young-to-have-that-much-money neighbor's house. Competition is mounting online, swelling into a wave larger than any physical world could contain. And you have to set yourself apart.

2.    Therefore, do not go gently into that good night. You must know the market to whom you are selling, why they buy, when they buy, and especially, where they live and hangout. But when I say "do not go gently," it is without a connotation of bombardment – this isn't about harassing the customer – it's about being there throughout their buying journey, like a friendly billboard.

The journey begins with a spark of interest that can be ignited almost anywhere, from any source (the best source is a buddy), but no matter where the interest originates, it's your responsibility as a marketer to be present along all paths during the research phase, where interest is fostered and encouraged. It goes without saying your product must be better than the swelling competition's, and if you've done your job with "the sales pyramid," fostering interest with ubiquity, accessibility, and highlighting why your product is better, then closing should be a cinch. But whatever happens, you must be better than the competition, and everybody has to be believe it.

3.    Search marketers seem prone to focus on the closing, the click-through, and not so much on the relationship with the customer. Think of it this way: in the cartoons of old, two characters are stranded on a small desert island. It doesn't take long until one sees the other as a pork chop, and the pork chop doesn't appreciate it one bit. If customers become dollar signs in your hungry approach to them, they'll sense it, and avoid you the best they can. It's important to eat, everyone knows, and click-throughs and bottom lines are what make the whole endeavor worth it. But there's an art to seduction, and if achieved, loyalty results – closing one sale one time has little bearing on long-term success. Success, ultimately, takes closing many sales many times over.

·   Brand matters: 65% of well known companies report being good or excellent at lead generation whereas only 44% of not well known companies report being good or excellent. If you are well known whatever lead generation tactics you employ are likely to work better.

·   Know your target market: Targeting and segmentation are the first steps to any lead generation or marketing effort. Of those companies that rated themselves as excellent at lead generation, 51% know the actual names of the decision makers there are trying to reach (compared to meek 13% of companies that rated themselves as poor at lead generation).