Short, effective, to-the-point, and beneficial is how I viewed a recent e-mail request to participate in a survey from PKF Texas. The e-mail is intended for clients and prospects.
It opened with the statement, “Present studies from the Association of Certified Fraud examiners indicate that as much as 7% of your top line revenue may be lost due to internal/occupational fraud.” It then succinctly identified who should be interested in taking the survey and the immediate benefit that could be derived by taking the survey, which is described as a tool that can “serve as a catalyst to begin a dialogue about the potential for fraud in your organization.”
The survey itself was only 10 questions that covered the key components of a good fraud prevention and detection program. Each of the subjects covered would be great study points for helping a business develop proactive steps to protect against fraud. In addition, once the 10 questions are answered you get a descriptive narrative grade of how well your organization is doing.
What did I really love about the survey? It presented itself quickly; delivered on its promises; had only 10 very well-constructed questions; and was a real win-win. Everyone who took the survey instantaneously benefited without having the firm evaluate the results and make contact. It was up to the readers if they wanted to contact the firm. You can bet the ones that contacted PKF Texas were very interested in the possibility of engaging the firm to assist them in fraud prevention. The best kind of qualified lead!
Contrast that with other firm surveys I have seen in which it becomes readily apparent that they are thinly disguised, extensive, fact-finding exercises for which the participants receive no benefits, other than repeated attempts by the firm to sell a service for which sufficient interest hasn’t been generated.
