Today, we're going to dive into how to supercharge your sales, unearth critical market insights, and broaden your customer base with one uncomplicated yet potent tactic - the Post-Action Intake Form.

This seemingly simple step is a treasure trove of data that you can leverage to refine your marketing strategy and better cater to your customers. If you're tired of seeing your Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) climb while your messaging keeps missing the mark, then it's time to tap into the power of a well-devised intake form. Trust me, it's a game-changer.

The Post-Action Intake Form Accomplishes 2 Key Objectives:

First, it primes your customers for future engagement with your sales and marketing teams. They've filled out the form, they're committed, and now your sales team has the playbook for their needs and desires. It's like handing them conversion cheat codes to maximize the lifetime value of every new lead or customer.

Second, you're secretly gathering market research that's worth its weight in bitcoins. You’re like a highly trained military operator… gathering intel before engaging. Every answer on that form is a clue to what your customers want, need, and will pay for.

Now you might be wondering how exactly to set this up (and do it so quickly)… So let's dive into the simple 3-step setup process:

Step 1: Map Out Your Questions

Setting up an intake form on your thank-you page post-sale is the first step. It may sound as exciting as a tax return, but trust me, it's the sales equivalent of finding the treasure chest in a pirate adventure.

Quick example: Imagine your sales team being handed a map marked with an 'X' for every new customer. They can skip the pleasantries and dive right into the heart of what your customer wants (while dodging many common objections and wishy-washy prospect behavior).

You want to keep your questions to as few as possible to reduce the time to completion (and increase your completion rates)… while also asking enough questions to get the valuable insights you desire. I recommend sticking to between 5-10 questions (no more than 10, as your lead or customer is already psychologically drained from watching your ads and going through your digital mousetrap).

Stick with me ‘til the end of the article and I’ll give you some base questions to start with.

Step 2: Set up Your Post-Action Intake Form & Integrations

Now that you’ve got your questions mapped out… all you have to do is pop them into your favorite question-based software tool (I recommend Typeform or Jotform). You’ll want to start with the easiest questions to build momentum before getting to the longer-form answers, like asking them to confirm their first name, last name, and email they used to sign-up or purchase.

Next, you’ll want to ensure that you use a tool like Zapier to connect your form to your CRM so that all of the juicy details about every single customer who fills this out get added to their contact information for your sales team.

Once you’ve got your shiny new Post-Action Intake Form built, which should take a few minutes, all you have to do is grab the embed code and place it on the Thank You Page of your funnel. Here’s an example of what the thank-you page might look like…

Pro-Tip: if you want to skyrocket the amount of intake form completions, simply offer them an additional free bonus training or resource for filling in the form.

Step 3: Use the Insights to Tailor Customer Experience

And here's the beauty of it all - it culminates in an enhanced sales process, enriched customer relationships, and insightful market understanding. You're not just running a business; you're building an empire with a loyal following of customers who actually feel understood.

Pro-Tip: export the answers gathered from your Post-Action Intake Form and upload them into a free word-cloud software tool to uncover messaging patterns, and common goals as well as challenges that your customers are facing to turn these answers into actionable insight.

Here are a few example questions to kickstart your Post-Action Intake Form:

1. First things first, please confirm the email that you used to [sign-up for/buy] the [PRODUCT/LEAD MAGNET NAME].

2. What prompted you to grab the [PRODUCT/LEAD MAGNET NAME]? (Make this multiple choice with an "Other" answer option just in case.)

3. What is your #1 goal this year when it comes to [NICHE/INDUSTRY/DESIRE]?

4. Permission to vent to us... what has been your biggest challenge preventing you from hitting your goal?

5. If we could provide a clear pathway from your current state to your desired outcome, would you be open to further training or resources from us?

Then, on the thank you page, you just need to provide them with a link or a button to access their bonus training for completing the intake form.

Try crafting your own Post-Action Intake Form to transform your thank-you page from a bounce page into an engaging customer research tool. Then, watch as your show-up rates increase, your objections decrease, and your close rates skyrocket from this simple tactic.

PS - THE SUBTLE NUANCE: 'INTAKE' VS 'APPLICATION' OR 'ASSESSMENT'

There is a strategic reason we named it an "intake form" rather than an application or assessment form. Intake forms are a common requirement with authoritative figures in our lives (like doctors or personal trainers), hinting at an upcoming service. By dubbing it an "intake form," there's a tacit understanding that the form must be completed before progressing, thereby encouraging prospects to engage more deeply with the process.