Rand - so steal it already or I will steal it first!

I like your response. As Christoph says above, very clear and not too muddled. I liked the way that you get them to run the site through your comparison tool and decide if they think they can do it. This is very smart in two ways: if they think they can easily get the rankings you may be able to describe why that isn’t the case; and if they think it will be too hard, then you may be able to convince them it can be done with the right budget. Either way it is more likely to get a further response, if they take the time to go through the test.

When I do a reply, I often use a simple formula of three things I touch on, taking just a few minutes, but offering them an idea of where their site stands in terms of 1.Content, 2. Linking, and 3. an Alexa snapshot of traffic. If it does seem like a more “desirable lead,” I may offer comparisons with the current top site for a particular term at Google, as you suggest.

The goal with these responses is to begin to establish the trust of the prospect, and lying or making exagerated statements about SEO in general or the specific industry they are in will just lead to disappointment and resentment down the road. Once again, good post!

CB