BACK TO ARTICLES 
A couple of weeks ago as I was putting together a list of the best inbound marketing blogs to follow, I happened across a link to a blog that sounded very informative. The description promised a company that had been practicing inbound marketing for some time, and a blog that would be full of useful posts related to marketing, blogging, web design, and everything else I wanted for a blog that would make my list. Convinced, I clicked the link.
Instead of seeing the website, I got this pop-up:
No X button to get rid of it. Most pop ups will allow you to click off-field and take you to the website. So I tried that.
Nope.
I don’t want to be a client, I just want to read your blog, folks.
Please let me in.
Maybe if I go to the website’s homepage and not the blog URL?
Well okay then. I left the website and didn’t get to sample any of their sweet bloggy nectar. I was a little disappointed.
So, turning away a lowly copywriter probably isn’t a big deal to most people. What if I had been a potential lead, though? I might have millions under a mattress somewhere. You don’t know my life. What happens when you suddenly are accepting new clients and can’t find any because they were all turned away by your pop-up gatekeeper?
The lesson here is that most people aren’t as stubborn as I am and will leave your site forever as soon as they realize they aren’t getting in. Your website is your digital storefront, minus the possibility that most people will ever do a second drive-by if they don’t have a reason to do so. Maybe you aren’t accepting new clients right now, but turning away potential customers is never a good idea.
