Lead qualification form

Ask a lead for their budget and you get the number they hope for. This form asks about things that already happened: what they use today, what changed, who else decides, and what they've paid before. Those answers tell you who is ready for a call this week and who should get a follow-up email instead.

Best for: Sales and growth teams, and anyone who answers inbound demo requests themselves.

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What are you using to solve this today?

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The questions

1What are you using to solve this today?Long textA named tool, even a spreadsheet, means the problem is real enough to spend on. 'Nothing yet' usually means it can wait.
2What changed recently that made you start looking?Long textThis is the trigger. No trigger usually means no deadline, and no deadline means no deal this quarter.
3When do you need this solved by?Single selectThis month / This quarter / Just exploring. Timing tells a real deal from a someday one.
4Who else is involved in choosing a solution?Single selectJust me / Me and my manager / A committee. It shows who actually decides, so the call goes to the right person.
5What have you spent on this problem before?Short textPast spend reads budget better than 'what's your budget?'. People report what they did more honestly than what they'd allow.
6What would make this an easy yes for you?Long textNames the one thing that decides the deal, so the first call can open with it.
7Work emailShort textA company address plus a clear trigger is the lead to answer the same day.

Sample replies, counted

These replies are made up to show the method.

Asked: What changed recently that made you start looking?

we hired 4 sales reps in september and the shared inbox fell apartTeam grew fast
Our contract with the current vendor renews on Jan 1 and they're raising us from $400 to $650 a month.Renewal or price jump
Just closed a seed round, finally have money for proper tooling.New budget
Two new account managers started last month and nobody can tell who owns which lead anymore so things slipTeam grew fast
honestly nothing, saw your post and got curiousNo trigger yet
Renewal notice landed last week. Want options before I sign another year.Renewal or price jump
Board asked for a pipeline report and we couldn't build one.Other
Not urgent, just looking aroundNo trigger yet

8 replies, one label each
Label	Replies
Team grew fast	2
Renewal or price jump	2
No trigger yet	2
New budget	1
Other	1

Five of eight named a real trigger, and two of those are renewals with a date on them. Call the renewals first, then the growing teams. The two with no trigger go to email.

How to run it well

Sort on the trigger and the deadline first. A clear reason to buy with a 'this quarter' deadline beats a big budget with no hurry.
Treat 'nothing yet' as 'not now', not 'never'. Put those leads on a follow-up email list instead of the call calendar.
Keep the form short. Every extra field costs you some of the people you most wanted to hear from.
Read the 'easy yes' answer before every call. The one requirement people name there is often the whole deal.
Route by who decides: a solo buyer gets a demo, a committee gets a short deck their champion can forward.

When not to use this: If you're choosing who to talk to for research, not who to sell to, use the customer interview screener instead. A sales form tilts toward buyers and away from honest stories.

FAQ

Why not ask for budget and authority directly?

People answer those the way they wish things were. They name the budget they'd like and the say they'd like to have. What they use now, what changed and what they've already paid are facts, and facts predict a real deal better than hopes.

How do I turn the answers into a hot or cold rule?

A clear trigger, a 'this quarter' deadline and a named current tool make a hot lead. Call it the same day. If the trigger or the deadline is missing, it goes to follow-up email. Past spend breaks ties. It isn't the gate.

Won't a longer form scare leads off?

Some, and that's partly the point. This form is there to sort, not to collect the most submissions. People who won't spend two minutes on it rarely buy. Keep it to the questions you'll use to route, and most of what you lose are leads you'd have ruled out on the call.

Where the method comes from

The Short Life of Online Sales Leads, Harvard Business Review (2011)hbr.org
A Primer on Talking to Customers From Rob Fitzpatrick's The Mom Test, Sachin Rekhi (2023)sachinrekhi.com
Writing Survey Questions, Pew Research Centerpewresearch.org