Read time: 6 mins, 12 secs

You got a notification telling you a new lead has filled out your contact form. Hooray!

Then you read their responses.

You have their name, business name, email address, website URL, and a 1-line description of what they’re allegedly looking for. 

The day of the discovery call, your chest is tight with anxiety of the unknown. Because you don’t know who the F you’re about to really meet.

→ Good fit? You doubt it.

→ Bad fit? Feels more likely.

→ Terrible fit that will cost you months in therapy if you take them on? That’s your biggest worry.

You enter into Zoom Land: population 1. Because your lead? They’re 5 minutes late.

Then 10. 

Your mouse hovers over the “leave meeting” button on Zoom when WHAM!

Your lead has finally joined the call.

A weak apology falls out of his mouth before he steamrolls you in the conversation, barks out what he’s actually looking for (which barely fits into anything you offer), and tells you what he’s willing to pay (which is $3k below any starting price on your website).

The conversation takes a sharp turn into survival mode as you keep glancing at the time and praying this fucking nightmare discovery call ends.

This suffering? It’s unnecessary.

And it’s exactly why you need a contact form that filters out Mis-fit Leads.

That’s what you’re gonna learn how to create today.

Not all leads are GOOD leads

*taps on whiteboard* There are 2 types of leads:

There are the Best-fit Leads who mesh with your vibe & personality, are willing to wait however long it takes to work with you, and happily pay a 4-figure deposit. We love Best-fit Leads.

Then there are Mis-fit Leads who seem to be experiencing their first day on earth, have a budget of $500, and want you to build them a full website with some AI tool their brother Carl built.

These are the leads you do not want. Ever. Even if you’re facing living in a van down by the river.

Not only do they clog up your inbox and DMs—which wastes HOURS in your business—but they also cost you money you COULD’VE been making from dream clients.

And if you’re getting those leads on the reg, then your contact form, inquiry form, lead form—whatever you want to call it—isn’t doing its job. Period.

Why letting your contact form be an afterthought is dangerous

Your contact form isn’t a formality to get a potential client’s email and business name.

Think of it like a velvet rope to your business: you don’t want to let any rando through.

But most entrepreneurs have a cookie-cutter contact form that isn’t doing them any favors. These include the bare minimum list:

• Name

• Business name

• Email address

• Website address

• Project they’re interested in

• MAYBE referral source
  

Now, is that all info you need? Yes. But it’s not ALL the info you need.

And a contact form like that lets anyone behind the velvet rope.

7 optimized contact form questions that do the heavy-lifting for you

Aside from those standard Qs, add the following questions in your contact form to guide best-fit clients behind the velvet rope and into your inbox while guiding mis-fit clients faaaar away.

→ Question No. 1: What service(s) are they interested in?

Seems basic AF, right? *buzzer sound* Wrong.

This is the PERFECT opportunity to remind them of your signature services—not a chance to let them free-write some random project.

Here’s how this looks in my contact form:

(Pro tip: If you use a CRM like HoneyBook, your life is 182x easier because you can choose from dropdown options, multiple choice, text, etc. Wanna get 30% off the best CRM in the world? Click here >)

Why this is important

Odds are, serious Best-fit Leads have combed through your website and are interested in what you specialize in—not some bespoke project you did once 3 years ago that will take you a million times longer to complete.

Plus when you skim over the responses, you know in .02 seconds what this potential client is looking for.

Anxiety: instantly extinguished.

→ Question No. 2: Can they simply explain what they do—and who they do it for?

This one is included for selfish reasons.

The easier something is to read, the easier it is to understand and remember. Behavioral scientists call this processing fluency.

So when it’s 3:45 p.m., your last ounce of caffeine has worn off, and your brain resembles applesauce, you don’t want to read about how a lead “amplifies females’ inherent beauty via the amputation of hair follicles so they can achieve their ultimate goddess” when they cut hair for a living.

Here’s how I word this on my inquiry form:

Why this is important

Simple = easier on your brain. (You’re welcome.)

BUT ALSO, if this potential client struggles to explain what they do and who they do it for, it’s usually a sign they aren’t in the position to hire you just yet. (They’ve got some messy middle stuff they’ve gotta figure out first.)

→ Question No. 3: What, specifically, do they need your help with—and what will that help them achieve?

If you’re a website designer, your potential clients don’t really want a new website. 

They want the confidence that comes from having a professional, drop-dead-gorgeous website to send potential clients to. (Like the one Sarah Kleist designed for me!)

Here’s how this is worded on my inquiry form:

Why this is important

This Q hands you their exact words for what they’re really buying. So you can mirror that language back in your copy, your sales calls, your offers—everywhere.

→ Question No. 4: What’s stopping them from getting there right now?

This Q = messaging gold.

This goes beyond surface-level pain points and uncovers the giant, gnawing problem keeping them from where they want to be.

This is what I have on my contact form:

Why this is important

When you know the roadblock that’s holding them back from what they want most, it’s easier to position yourself as the key.

→ Question No. 5: Have they ever worked with someone like you—and what was the experience like?

Granted, sometimes clients turn out to be not-so-great fits in the long run and no one is really at fault. It simply eez what it eez.

But odds are, if EVERY photographer a potential client has ever worked with was a shitshow, it’s probably not the photographers’ fault. 

And if that’s the case, that’s a really good indicator of whether YOU’LL be the newest member in their graveyard of “shitty [designers, photographers, accountants, etc.].”

That’s why you should know what their track record is with other service pros like you.

This is how it looks on my contact form:

Why this is important

If a potential client has only had negative experiences with service pros like you, that’s a BIG red flag. Because odds are, you’re gonna be their next victim.

→ Question No. 6: Have they reviewed your prices?

There is no bigger waste of time than hopping on a call with someone who has champagne dreams on a beer budget. And no, you can’t fix them.

That’s why are hereby forbidden from getting on a call with a potential client if they have NOT confirmed they’ve reviewed your pricing. If you have a handful of signature services you offer (which science says is best), you can paste them right into the question. Or if you have a CRM like Dubsado, then you can ask them to check a box confirming they’ve reviewed them.

Ngl, I would prefer to have the checkbox option that Dubsado offers. (HoneyBook, fix this.) But alas, here’s how I make sure a lead knows my prices before they hit “Submit”:

Why this is important

If your pricing isn’t in their budget, no amount of yapping on a discovery call is gonna change that. You’re not a magician—nor should you be. So unless you’re willing to butcher your deliverable to meet their budget, do both of you a favor and send a referral list. And skip the Zoom Land trip (and headache).

→ Question No. 7: How did they hear about you?

Chris Walker, known as the Father of Modern Demand Gen, found that most attribution software failed to capture where leads were actually coming from.

His solution? Ask a dead-simple question: How did you hear about us?

Now of course you can—and probably should—zshush it up with your personality. But the core Q is the same. Did they hear about you from your website? Instagram? Threads? LinkedIn (probably not)? YOU GOTTA KNOW.

Why this is important

When you know where the majority of leads are coming from, you can focus more of your time and energy on that channel instead of spreading yourself thin across 27 others.

→ BONUS Question: What happened in their life that makes them need you NOW?

Okay, so this one doesn’t technically filter out Mis-fit Leads. But it’s essential to get must-have data from your Best-fit Leads filling out your optimized contact form.

Why? Because as my good friend and client Katelyn Bourgoin will tell you: Your ideal clients don’t randomly wake up one day and think, “I should hire a photographer.”

They have buying triggers.

→ Maybe they’re 4 months pregnant with their 1st child and they saw a girl on IG post her maternity photos and realize they need to book theirs.

→ Maybe their dog is celebrating his 12th birthday and they want photos to remember him forever by.

→ Maybe they’re rebranding their business and need new photos to match their color scheme.

The point?

There are always trigger events that happen in the buyer’s journey that takes your ideal client out of la-dee-da’ing in their everyday life and into your contact form.

Your contact form needs to tease out what *that* moment is. 

Here’s how I do that on mine:

Why this is important

Once you see a trend in buying triggers, you can tailor your messaging so you show up at the *exact* moment clients are ready to work with you. Instead of hoping the stars perfectly align and they stumble onto your site at the right time.

Ummm won’t all these questions scare off leads?

No! Serious leads—not wishy-washy ones—are happy to scribble in this information because they’re pretty much ready to hand over their credit card info RIGHT THEN. 

(Btw, if you get responses that are bare-boned and don’t give you much context, that’s also a red-flag that that lead may not be the best fit.)

Plus, there’s a psychological reason for including more Qs:

The more time and effort a person puts into something, the more they value it. Behavioral scientists call this effort justification.

Your optimized contact form is the final piece of the puzzle

Here’s the thing…

Your contact form can only filter leads who already think you’re the best service pro for them.

If your copy isn’t convincing them of that in the first place, no amount of smart questions will save you. (Because those clients will bounce right the f off.)

Wanna nail your messaging & website copy so you can get more dream clients eagerly filling out your new optimized contact form? Apply to work together >