Other than a sale, nothing is more exciting than getting a new software lead.
That magic “chime” of your email, the bold subject line popping in, that name you don’t recognize. All if this stirs up endless possibilities in your mind.
What help do they need? How did they even find us? How soon would they like to jump on a call.
At that point, the world is wide open. At any moment a new lead can open doors for your software company.
Typically An Afterthought – But Should It?
With so much riding on new leads, it’s a wonder how so little thought is put into the vehicle that delivers these leads.
The humble contact form.
These are typically thrown in and tested as the last step of a website refresh. Sometimes more time is spent arguing over if the form should have an anti-spam checkbox than discussing the form as a whole.
Shouldn’t more emphasis be put on them as part of marketing your software solutions? In fact, some companies hesitate to even use a contact form.
They even may justify this and feel new prospects that are really interested can just use the phone number listed on the website.
The Struggle Is Real
I get it, standard contact forms are one of the easiest components of a website. Why spend more time on it than you need to. But, there are some challenges with stopping the conversation there.
For example, when a lead fills out your contact form where does it go? If it’s sent to you and your team via email, that’s a great notification process.
The real challenge comes when you try to comb through endless emails and email chains to look for that lead a week later. Or, imagine trying to track how many leads you actually got last quarter by searching and counting emails in your inbox.
Other than the simplicity of a standard contact form, everything after that point leaves too many holes in the boat. Is there a better way?
A World Of Difference
Integrating a CRM form into your website means that you already have a Contact Relationship Management (CRM) system in place, which you do…right?
If not, you need to seriously consider it. A contact form that integrates into your CRM can notify you, your team and even respond to the lead for you.
Plus, since the lead is stored and tracked in your system, finding and measuring your leads is just about as easy as can be.
These can even be considered “smart” contact forms, since leads that have revisited your website can have their contact details auto-populated when they download your ebook or other digital marketing content.
“They Shall Not Pass”
If leads are the fuel to your sales, then your contact form is the gatekeeper to your dreams. I don’t know who wrote that, maybe I just made it up.
We can all agree that something as important to your software marketing process as the contact form deserves way more consideration.
Keep in mind, these leads are reaching out for your expertise and help, the right contact form helps your deliver that help more efficiently.
Plus, making the change from standard contact forms to one that integrates into your CRM is not that difficult of a process. To see what it takes, click here to setup a time to talk with us.
