Online Forms - What works? | 51

Instagram Post i spoke about - HERE.

Your website’s contact form can make or break your lead quality. Too little information, and you’ll waste time on tire kickers—too much, and potential clients will leave. Keep it simple but effective: include urgency, full names, job addresses, and clear call-to-action buttons like Get Your Quote Now. Most importantly, move your form to the top of your website so it’s the first thing visitors see—this small tweak can significantly increase your leads.

🚀 Rocket your electrical business marketing in 9 minutes 👉🏼 HERE

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Transcript

Twist the copper with your pliers and double it over. Welcome to Simplified Sparky Marketing.

I want to talk about online forms—what you should and shouldn’t include. This comes from a carousel post I just created on Instagram. I thought, Fuck it, I need to talk more about this, so I’ve decided to record a quick podcast and give you some real value.

I’ve tested several websites—this is my sixth version, and I’m finally happy with it. It took years of trial and error to figure out what actually works and what doesn’t. What I’ve learned is that your form needs just enough information to show the client is serious. If you ask for too little, you’ll get every tire kicker submitting a form. I’ve seen some shocking forms out there—some only ask for a first name and email. That is horrible. You’re going to get all sorts of randoms wasting your time. Maybe it says underneath, Tell us about your job, but without enough information, you’ll waste time chasing people who were never serious in the first place.

I’ve finally nailed the happy medium—a simple form that works. I went through this in my Instagram post, which I’ll link below. My Instagram handle is there too, so drop us a follow. There’s plenty of content to help grow your electrical business.

At the very top of your form, you need urgency—I can’t stress this enough. Mine says, Get your online quote today. Now, even if you don’t actually do online quotes, fuck it, put it down anyway. Why? Because when people see that, they think, Oh yeah, brilliant, I can get a quote today, and they’re more likely to submit their details. Even if you can’t actually get to them today, just acknowledge their inquiry: Hey, we’re super busy and can’t get to it today, but we’ll have it to you tomorrow. That sense of urgency speeds up submissions and keeps leads flowing in.

Now, let’s talk about what your form needs. First, always get their full name. It’s a rookie mistake to send out quotes addressed to just “Jim” or “Cji.” It looks unprofessional. If a client is comparing your quote to another sparky’s, and theirs is professionally addressed with a full name and details while yours looks sloppy, guess who has the edge? Plus, from a legal standpoint, if the job goes south and Jim refuses to pay, a quote addressed to Jim and Cji won’t hold up well in court. You need full names.

The job address is just as important. It should be on every single quote. If they don’t fill it out, I always ask before sending the quote: Hey Jim, what’s the full job address? We need it for the quote. And here’s a hack I use—Google Street View. I Google almost every job before heading out. If it’s a standalone house, I can see if it’s single-brick, double-brick, two-story, single-story. I check if I can get under the house, into the roof, or access the sides. If they’ve bought the house in the last 10–15 years, there are probably old real estate photos on Domain, so I can get an idea of the layout. It’s almost like doing a site visit from my laptop—massive time saver.

Next is email. A lot of people overlook this—Ah, stuff it, I’ve got their phone number. Wrong. You need an email to send an official quote. If they don’t want to provide one, just say, We need it to send your quotation. And never accept sending quotes via SMS—it’s unprofessional.

Phone number? Obvious. But it’s also a sign they’re serious. I’m not a huge fan of SMS marketing—I think you get one or two good texts a year before you start annoying people. Unless it’s a really good offer, SMS marketing can be irritating.

Another key question is "Have You Used Us Before?" This helps track where leads come from—new client, return client, or referral. You can add more options, like Heard about us from Beacon Lighting, but simplicity wins. Too many options, and people get distracted.

Then, you need job details. The more detailed, the better the lead. If someone submits John, Koji, lights, it’s usually a red flag. If they can’t be bothered to write details or attach a picture, they’re probably a time-waster. Of course, there are exceptions—maybe they’re filling it out at midnight and don’t want to call—but from years of experience, vague forms usually mean a lead won’t go ahead—or they’re just price shopping.

Finally, your call-to-action button matters. Don’t just have Submit—that’s boring. Instead, use Get Your Quote Now or Request Your Quote Today. It reinforces urgency. If you already have Get your online quote today at the top, then Get Your Quote Now at the bottom strengthens that message. It’s a little psychological trick to encourage submissions.

Now, let’s talk about something most of you are doing wrong—where your form is placed. Move your form to the top of your website. When your page loads, the form should be immediately visible—or at most, one small scroll away. If your form is buried at the bottom or behind another page, you’re losing leads. A lot of you listening right now have your forms too far down the page. Fix that. If your form isn’t front and center, put it in your fucking diary to call your developer or fix it yourself. Move it to the top and watch your leads increase.

I’ve tested longer forms, and I truly believe they scare people off. If you have 20 fields, people will look at it, feel overwhelmed, and move to another site. They want a quote fast—don’t make them work for it. This balance—asking just enough without overwhelming—is the sweet spot.

If you take one thing from this episode, it’s this: Move your form up. When people land on your page, they’re already looking for an electrician. Make it easy for them. Give them a clear, simple form, add urgency, and make sure it’s the first thing they see. Do this, and you’ll thank me later when leads start flowing in.