Are you asking the right questions?

One of my clients targets attorneys, and on his website's lead form, he asks:

• Is your revenue less than $500k?

• $500k to $1 million

• $1 million to $5 million

• Over $5 million

Given no pre-existing relationship, do you think the attorney will respond honestly?

Instead, my client can ask these two revealing questions:

1. "What type of law do you practice?"

2. "How many attorneys do you have at your firm?"

The answer to these two will give him the approximate revenue figure he needs to qualify them.

Here's the thing...

I wouldn't have known this if I didn't already have years of selling agency services to attorneys.

Serving a vertical buyer over an extended period gives you specialized knowledge. 

Knowledge that can accelerate growth.

CQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Why might asking prospects directly about revenue not work well?

Because without an existing relationship, a prospect has little incentive to answer honestly. Revenue feels sensitive, and a stranger asking for it directly on a lead form often gets guarded or inaccurate responses.

What questions worked better for qualifying attorney leads?

"What type of law do you practice?" and "How many attorneys do you have at your firm?" Both questions are less sensitive to answer honestly, and together they reveal an approximate revenue range without asking for it directly.

How did years of experience with a specific vertical lead to finding these better questions?

Because working closely with attorneys over time revealed which proxy questions actually correlate with revenue in that specific industry, insight that wouldn't be obvious without that direct experience.

Why does vertical specialization improve lead qualification specifically?

Because understanding an industry's specific dynamics reveals smarter ways to gather the same information indirectly, rather than relying on generic, sensitive questions that prospects are less likely to answer honestly.

What's the broader lesson behind this example?

That serving a vertical buyer over an extended period builds specialized knowledge, and that knowledge can directly accelerate growth by improving something as practical as a lead qualification form.