At other Web sites, inquiry forms have so many questions that visitors feel it takes too long to complete. For instance, many people answer questions dealing with the time frame for making a decision. If most of your sales occur between 6 and 12 months after the initial contact with a prospect, you can expect your visitors to answer questions on a form that includes this range. Surprisingly, one of the best techniques for collecting information about prospects' needs via the Web is to have a large text box where they can describe their needs in their own words. Visitors with a solid understanding of their needs and a clear set of objectives will sometimes provide a detailed description that indicates they are qualified prospects.
Some companies can apply automated rules to qualify prospects from Web data.
However, most companies need to have a sales administrator review the information and make a preliminary judgment about how the lead should be processed. In some cases, such as when a visitor is clearly gathering preliminary information for a project, an email might be all that's needed to maintain contact. For more qualified leads, the sales associate can forward information to the appropriate salesperson for direct contact. When that's combined with contact information and other data from the Web form, a salesperson can easily follow up with the prospect. The initial qualification process of Web leads can quickly put the prospect in touch with the appropriate salesperson or can direct the person to appropriate information on the Web site.