The FILTER System
Facebook lead forms that stop junk leads.
Why a Facebook lead form sends you people who never pick up, and the few questions that fix it. With the real numbers from one turf contractor in Arizona.
By Nikola Krstin, who runs every Scallira account himself.
What a junk lead is
A junk lead is a person who sent your form but does not want the job. They do not pick up. Or they pick up and only wanted a price. Or they live two hours away.
You still pay Meta for every one of them. And you lose an evening calling them back.
Why Facebook forms bring so many
A Facebook lead form is very easy to send. Facebook fills in the name, the email and the phone number for you. One tap and it is gone.
That is good for the number of leads. It is bad for the quality. People tap without really meaning it, because it costs them nothing.
The fix: a few questions first
Put a few questions before the contact screen. Each question costs a person a second of thought. People who are only looking stop there and never send the form. The ones who answer are telling you they mean it.
You get fewer leads. But more of them are real people with a real job. And their answers sit next to their name, so you know what they want before you call.
What happened in Arizona
This summer I ran ads for a turf contractor in Arizona. My first lead form was too easy to fill in. Lots of people sent it, but many of them were not serious.
So I made a new form with a few questions to check who was serious. 34 people filled that one in. 15 of them booked an estimate. All 15 estimates happened. That form cost $1,600 in ads. That is about $107 for each estimate.
Over the whole five weeks, both forms together, he spent $2,000 on ads and got 60 leads.
The three questions that did it
How big is the job? It tells you if the job is worth the drive, and roughly what it will cost.
When do you want it? It tells you who wants it now and who is dreaming about next year. You call the first ones first.
Which zip code? It tells you if the job is inside your area, before you spend a call on it.
How to write good questions
Give people choices to tap, not a box to type in. Tapping is fast. Typing makes people quit.
Use plain words. Ask what a homeowner can answer without thinking hard.
Keep it to three to five questions. Each one should tell you something you would ask on the phone anyway.
Add an honest answer like "I am just looking for now". People who pick it still reach you, and you know to call them last.
Use the form type Meta calls Higher intent. It shows people their answers one more time before they send. That stops a lot of accidental taps.
What happens after the form
The lead reaches your phone in seconds, with the answers next to the name. At the same time the customer gets an email that says you will call, with your name and number in it. An hour later you get one reminder, and then it stops.
Then you call. No robot talks to your customer. The form gets you a serious person. Selling the job is still yours.
What the filter does not do
It does not sell the job for you. It does not promise you a number of signed jobs. It brings you people who want a price for a real job, and it tells you what they want before you call.
Questions owners ask me.
Will I get fewer leads with questions on the form?
Yes, usually fewer. But more of them pick up and want the job. In Arizona, 15 of the 34 people on the form with questions booked an estimate.
How many questions should a Facebook lead form have?
Three to five. Enough to tell you what the job is, when, and where. More than that and serious people start to quit too.
Should I use a landing page instead of a Facebook form?
Sometimes. A Facebook form is faster to send, so it brings more people. A landing page is slower, so it brings fewer. If your numbers say you need one, I build one.
Does this work for my trade?
The questions change, the idea does not. Every trade has its own version: what they want built, how big, when, and where.
See if your area is still open.
Tell me your trade and where you work. If it is not a good fit, I will say so. That is the whole reply.
- 1I read it myself, within one working day.
- 2If your area is open, we book a short call at a time that suits you.
- 3On the call we do the math with your own numbers. If it does not add up, I tell you.
