Trade owners come to us complaining about lead quality. Almost always, the problem is not the lead source. It is that they are letting unqualified leads into the calendar in the first place. Quoting takes 90 minutes per lead in real terms — site visit, conversation, write-up. Burning that on the wrong people destroys margin.
The 8-question sequence
These eight questions, in this order, take a lead under three minutes and tell you almost everything. They go in the lead form, in the AI chat, or in the first SMS — wherever you collect new enquiries.
- , 1 · Postcode
- , 2 · Type of job (multi-select: bathroom, kitchen, full reno, extension, other)
- , 3 · Approximate timeline (this month, next 3 months, 3-6 months, browsing)
- , 4 · Approximate budget (under £5k, £5-15k, £15-30k, £30k+)
- , 5 · Have you had any quotes already? (yes/no)
- , 6 · Property type (own home, rental, investment, commercial)
- , 7 · How did you hear about us?
- , 8 · Best phone number for a 15-minute scoping call
Why this order matters
Postcode first because if you do not work in their area, none of the other answers matter. Job type second because it filters out people who came to the wrong page. Timeline third because 'browsing' is not a no but it is a different conversation. Budget fourth, late enough that they have already invested attention in the form.
Questions 5 and 6 are the hidden gold. 'Have you had any quotes already' tells you whether you are first or second-look. Property type tells you whether you are talking to an investor (price-driven) or an owner-occupier (quality-driven).
The dropoff problem
Eight questions sound like a lot. They are. But the dropoff is the feature, not the bug. We have measured this on three trade clients. Switching from a 3-question form to an 8-question form reduces total leads by 35-50%, increases qualified leads by 25-40%, and increases booked-visit rate from leads by 100% or more.
- Old form · 3 qs
- 120 leads / 18 booked
- New form · 8 qs
- 72 leads / 38 booked
- Lift on booked visits
- +111%
Where the 8 questions get answered
Best practice in 2026: progressive form. Question 1 visible. Question 2 appears after answering question 1. Each question feels like one small commitment instead of a wall of fields. Drop-off mid-form is much lower than a single 8-field form.
What to do with the answers
Auto-tag the lead in your CRM by score. A lead with postcode-in-area, timeline 'this month', budget over your floor, and property type 'own home' is hot — they get a call within an hour. A lead browsing with no budget signal is a long-nurture — they go into a 90-day email sequence. Same form, different paths.
If your form does not lose people, it is not doing its job. The right leads are not the most leads — they are the ones who will close.
Seb Planchais
Implement this on Monday. The form change takes an hour. The CRM tagging takes a couple more. Within four weeks, your booked-visit rate will be measurably higher and the time you spend on dead-end quotes will halve.