I love and use the heck out of Basecamp, an online project management application. I’m not alone is this as Basecamp is one of the most popular web 2.0 business apps going.

Recently, I’ve started to use it in a way the some might not think of. A project, think lead nurturing, is so easy to set-up, personalize and customize that I’ve begun to create Basecamp pages for prospective clients as a way to create an intranet feel with my branding and their branding together. Then I upload relevant reading materials, pre-meeting files and other marketing and education related materials and grant the prospect permission to collaborate on the project.

It’s a great tool for this type of communication in the first place but I’ve also found that prospective clients are very impressed with the technology and all that it offers. This type of personalized use of technology is a great competitive advantage for any industry – particularly ones that don’t normally employ it.

A side benefit of using the technology in the lead conversion process is that I end up with clients already trained and ready to continuing using the service to collaborate and communicate throughout a project.