I have come across many lawyer websites with a problem. The site looks fine, they have good calls to action so that the user knows what to do. The user clicks on the “Contact Us” or “Free Case Evaluation” form only to find a looooong questionnaire asking for every detail short of their social security number. The user thinks about how long it will take to complete the form….and bolts.
Your Contact Form Shouldn’t Be An Intake Interview
Obviously the more information you can collect from a potential lead, the better qualified it will be. However, with each question and field you add onto your form, the number of users willing to complete that form will drop. These are potential clients you are leaving on the table (or worse sending to your competitors).
You must achieve a nice balance of properly qualifying the visitors to your site vs. trying to hit home runs with every lead capture. Obviously only requesting an email address isn’t enough….but asking for every mundane detail that you could ascertain from your first conversation isn’t good either. Achieving the harmony of qualification and keeping the request form short and simple will differ from firm to firm depending on your needs.
Less is More
A good way to go about deciding the questions you should have on your form is to examine the beginning of your process for contacting and meeting with a potential client. What are the absolute essentials you NEED to have before your first conversation with this person to address their issues? What kinds of things can you figure out on your first phone call with them? What information will help you to achieve the next step in your process (In other words, help you set up an appointment vs. collecting a retainer). Do you have someone that can assist you with the first contact with your leads? If this is the case, I recommend asking for less information, getting more form fills, and having your assistant filter out the better requests before you spend time with them.
Another thing to consider is creating a guide or an e-book that you offer as a free download in exchange for the consumer’s information. Writing an e-book that is topical and addresses the needs of the specific client you are seeking can be a great way to help qualify the lead as opposed to asking a hundred questions. For example, if you handle personal injury and specifically car accidents, you could create a guide titled “10 Things To Do After You’ve Been Injured In A Car Accident”. The idea is that people looking for this type of information would probably match up well with the services you are offering. Giving them free information helps position you as someone that is knowledgeable and willing to help.
Photo By The Rocketeer
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