Adventures in Online Lead Generation

I’m researching an article on loss prevention in the retail industry, and a Google search leads me to a page on ADT’s website touting an “informative Loss Prevention Guide.” Sounds promising, so I click on the link and get taken to a registration form, but with a curious preamble:

Thanks for visiting the ADT website. An ADT professional will be in touch shortly to help assist you.

OK, I don’t want to talk to anyone about loss prevention, at least not until I read the informative Loss Prevention Guide, but I’ll play along and fill in the reg form to get the PDF – pretty much standard operating procedure for lead generation, particularly in the B2B world. I fill out the fields, click Submit and get this head-scratching response:

Thank you for being a valued ADT customer. We appreciate you referring your friends and family to ADT! We’ll do everything possible to assist them in finding the right security system to meet their needs. An ADT representative will contact your friends and family and let them know that you referred them to the security company that protects your home and property.

Holy misdirect, Batman! I didn’t refer any friends and family, and I sure hope you don’t start contacting them and telling them I did so. I’m outta here!

Lesson: Even the smallest missteps can freak out your customers and send them scurrying away.