More commonly associated with market research, surveys can be a very effective lead generation technique for high-tech products. Designed well, they can generate very high response rates (often 15-20 percent or more) and will provide highly detailed information about individual prospects.

Surveys can be used with equal effectiveness in generating new business leads and installed base opportunities (for example, identifying those customers most dissatisfied and therefore most likely to be interested in upgrading to newer technology.) Just be sure to use multiple choice questions and phrase them in a way that amplifies the pain your product solves. You'll also need to offer some type of gift or premium for completing the survey (tip: include a photo of the premium on the survey form.)

Surveys have potential PR value. Publishing the results (however unscientific) in the trade press can help to establish your company's reputation as a leader in a particular market category. (You can raise the credibility of the survey by using a third party - a consulting or research firm, for example - as co-sponsor.) Surveys also translate very well to online marketing. Use a survey as the "call to action" in your next e-mail campaign or banner ad and drive people to a survey form on your Web site.

One note of caution: surveys generate a broad spectrum of leads, some more interested in your product than others. Surveys are most effective when there's a formal lead qualification process in place - for example an outbound telemarketing effort - that can identify the "hot prospects" before forwarding leads to the channel or field sales force.