The Funnelholic

I just read a great blog post from one of my favorite bloggers and b2b marketing thought leaders, Howard Sewell:  “Should You Require Registration for Web Content?”

Howard gives his opinion on the three common tactics regarding access to content:

1. No reg form or free content. According to Howard: “ridiculous”
2. Initiation ritual reg form (e.g.,  making users fill out numerous forms and activities to get to your content). According to Howard: “don’t do it”
3. Light reg form, which captures minimal information. According to Howard: “thumbs up.”

As you can imagine, I loved his post. I was going to let my registration form rants lie quietly for awhile (see “Don’t Scare the Buyer Off on the Reg Form:  3 Things You Don’t Ask on a First Date“ from earlier this month, but after his post, I think it’s time to pile it on.  I won’t even address free content. I am in lead generation not public service.

The question is: Do you want leads or not?  The answer is not whether you are going to try to “qualify” users via the reg form decathalon.  There are some simple rules here:

1. Everything and anything you add to a reg form affects conversion. Did you get that? EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING.  We don’t put street addresses on our forms because guess what, we don’t do direct mail (or stalk our buyers).  We certainly don’t make users go through numerous screens. We like our high conversion rates.
2. You don’t need all that information on the first shot.  Allow yourself to gather information progressively as the prospect gains trust and advances through your lead-qualification cycle.
3. The more you ask, the more the data sucks anyway.  Hello? Ever filled out a reg form?  Do you really respond: “Please have sales call me” or  “Timeframe: 3 months.”  You hate that stuff, and you either answer it untruthfully or you drop out.

Howard drops a great take on why we have ridiculous reg-form disease:

Putting prospects through this type of initiation ritual is ridiculous. But clearly it’s the result of some past sales VP saying “unless we know these facts about every prospect, I don’t want my reps calling them.”

News flash to all sales VPs: you don’t need to capture all that information as a first step.

The guy originally wanted to read your white paper. He doesn’t give a damn now. He’ll find the information somewhere else. He’ll find a shorter reg form. Asking for just the facts, ma’am. Not only do you not have him in your database, you’ve lost the chance to educate him.

I’ve said this so often, I should have it tattooed on my forehead (for all you know, it is, and that’s just an old photo …) — forms should ask “business card” information:

• Name
• Company
• Phone
• Email
• Zip

There is one question that may be relevant and if it is essential, add it.
Howard said,

If there’s some other absolutely vital qualifying data — for example, the person MUST have Microsoft Exchange installed or there’s nothing you can do for them — then ask that too, but stop there.

To recap:

1. Limit reg forms to business card data and maybe one knockout question.
2. Gather the rest in your nurture process via lead-qual teams or marketing automation.
3. Make money.

Boom outta here.

More and more, marketers are trying to “qualify” leads through their Web registration form.   I don’t believe in this practice.  I am believer in “business card” information and geo and company targeting. Geography is a common question (thanks, though, for the thousands of leads from Kazakhstan, but I have no sales presence there), and I understand company size. I don’t believe this information causes pause for users.

What I don’t get is the “qualification” questions about budgets and projects. As Web users, we fill out plenty of forms. Do you really want to tell a company you have a project in the works? And that you have a budget? That’s basically chumming the water for the sharks, and users know that. So, essentially you are scaring prospects away, thus hurting conversion rates or in the case of the user actually filling out that form, creating fake data. Or catching the smallest fish in the organization who needs to be thrown back.

There is an easy rule here: Don’t ask anything you wouldn’t ask on a first date.

Here are the three most important questions:

1. How much money do you have (or, at least, the range)? Do you have budget? If so, how big is it?  Guys, get real. The budget question is inappropriate. It’s a judgment call whether it’s even appropriate on the first call.  You need to establish a relationship and common interests and ensure the person likes you before you can ask that. Jumping into the budget question right away makes you look desperate. It makes you look like you are worried about who’s going to pay for dinner.
2. I don’t know you, but I’m concerned about the following potential problems you might have. Please choose one so I know how to approach the rest of dinner. These questions are usually phrased empathetically in terms of “pain,” “what keeps you up at night” or  “what problem are you trying to solve”? And, presumptuously, your issues are pre-selected and served up a la carte in a drop-down menu.  Dude, this one is incredible. Don’t fake concern. They don’t know you yet, so why would they trot out their character flaws?
3. How long will it be till we sleep together? (In case you’re missing the connection here, these are the reg form timeframe questions.)  This one’s worth a shot because you really have nothing to lose if you’ve gotten this far. But no one really answers this question honestly and most want to avoid it altogether. They know you will call them, but they may not be ready to get serious so soon.

The bottom line is:  It’s noble to try, but don’t use reg forms to do the job of your lead qualification or sales team.  You are scaring great prospects off, and are hurting conversion too little benefit.  Use your reg forms to confirm interest, target your market, and get their info.  Gather more data on your second date or your third when you’ve both invested some time.