a sample form
Too many small business websites don’t have useful contact forms on their site. Because of this, they are passing by opportunities to sign new business.
A contact form is the most convenient way for a visitor to talk to a business. It is more convenient than two commonly seen alternatives — a listed phone number and a listed e-mail address. Why?
First, calling a business cold risks an uncomfortable sales conversation. It’s possible that the business owner or employee will unwittingly force the caller into saying yes or no to doing business with the company — often permanently. Well-written information sent to form-originated prospects educates without forcing a financial commitment from the prospect.
Writing to an e-mail address is difficult for some people because they don’t know who they are writing to or what information they should include. For too many people, a blank e-mail triggers writers’ block, or at the least triggers the “I don’t have time for this” feeling that is just as fatal to a potential business relationship. A form’s fields guide the website visitor through the initial communication, soliciting just enough information to start exploring the business relationship.
(By the way, there’s a third option, live chat, which is extremely convenient. Live chat dialogues are usually initialized when the website visitor fills out a form, though, so they fall under the category of form for purposes of this discussion. I’ll talk more about live chat in a future article about how a business should respond to a form.)
So, the form is the most convenient option for the visitor. You should have one on your website. Next time, we’ll talk about different ways to put a contact form on your business website.
