FILTER: THREE QUESTIONS THAT FILTER YOUR LEADS Add three questions to the form people fill in when they ask about a job: what they need, when they need it, and the ZIP code. Every enquiry then comes in with those three answers, and the sheet (filter-template.csv) marks each one Calendar, Nurture text, Out of area or Check by hand. Every answer, name and ZIP code here is an example to adapt. Nothing here is a result; it is a checklist. THE THREE QUESTIONS (ask them in this order) 1. WHAT DO YOU NEED? Multiple choice. List only the services you sell, then one last option: Something else. Keep it to three services plus Something else, so the list stays short on a phone. 2. WHEN DO YOU NEED IT? Multiple choice, with exactly these three answers in every trade: This week / This month / Just researching The sheet reads these words, so keep them the same. 3. WHAT'S THE ZIP CODE? Short answer. Ask for the five-digit ZIP code. Where your form has a required setting, turn it on for all three, so nobody can send the form with one missing. THE ANSWERS, BY TRADE Roofing 1. What do you need? Roof repair / Roof replacement / Inspection / Something else 2. When do you need it done? This week / This month / Just researching 3. What's the ZIP code of the property? Cleaning 1. What do you need? Regular cleaning / Deep clean / Move-in or move-out clean / Something else 2. When do you need the clean? This week / This month / Just researching 3. What's the ZIP code of the place to clean? Heating and air (HVAC) 1. What do you need? Repair / Replacement / Service or tune-up / Something else 2. When do you need it? This week / This month / Just researching 3. What's the ZIP code of the property? Med spa 1. What are you interested in? Injectables / Laser hair removal / Skin treatments / Something else 2. When would you like to come in? This week / This month / Just researching 3. What's your ZIP code? Law firm (personal injury) 1. What happened? Car accident / Work injury / Slip or fall / Something else 2. When would you like to talk to a lawyer? This week / This month / Just researching 3. What's your ZIP code? Have your own ethics counsel check the form's wording before it goes live. WHERE TO ADD THEM A Meta instant form (a Facebook or Instagram lead ad) Meta's help pages describe custom questions you add to an instant form, including a multiple choice type and a short answer type: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/774623835981457 Use multiple choice for questions 1 and 2, and short answer for question 3. If your form offers its own ZIP code question, you can use that for question 3. Add the questions before you publish the form, and keep it a draft while you test it. Meta's help page on form types describes one type that adds a review step, where people confirm their information before they submit: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/252352181957512 Using it is your choice; this checklist makes no claim about what it does to your results. Menu names change. Check the words on your own screen. A form on your website Add question 1 and question 2 as dropdown or multiple choice fields with the answers above, and question 3 as a short text field. Make all three required. Send the answers to your CRM or a sheet with the lead's name and phone. A booking page Add the three as questions people answer when they book. On a booking page the person picks a time before you see the answers, so check each new booking's route and move or cancel the ones that don't fit, politely. THE FOUR ROUTES Calendar A service you sell, this week or this month, and a ZIP code you serve. Offer two real times. The texts for that are on the FAST page: https://hbunn.io/free/fast Nurture text Just researching, in a ZIP code you serve. No call slot yet. Send one text: Hi {{first_name}}, thanks for asking about {{service}}. No rush while you look into it. When you're ready to pick a time, reply to this text and we'll offer you two. Reply STOP to opt out. Keep them on a list you look at each month. Out of area A ZIP code you don't serve. A polite no: Thanks, {{first_name}}. {{zip}} is outside the area we cover, so we're not the right people for this job. Sorry we can't help this time. Check by hand They chose Something else, or an answer is missing. One named person on your team reads the enquiry and decides. THE SHEET (filter-template.csv) The formulas are written for Google Sheets. They assume the columns in this order. A date The day the enquiry came in. B name Their name. C phone Their phone number. D source_ad Which ad or page it came from. E service The answer to question 1, as the option reads. F timeline The answer to question 2. G zip The answer to question 3. H in_area Worked out for you. TRUE when the ZIP code is in your list in column O. =IF(G2="","",OR(COUNTA(O$2:O)=0,COUNTIF(O$2:O,LEFT(G2,5))>0)) I fits Worked out for you. TRUE when all three answers fit, FALSE when one doesn't or the ZIP code is missing. =IF(COUNTA(A2:G2)=0,"",IF(G2="",FALSE,AND(H2,E2<>"",F2<>"",SUBSTITUTE(E2,"_"," ")<>"Something else",SUBSTITUTE(F2,"_"," ")<>"Just researching"))) J route Worked out for you: Calendar, Nurture text, Out of area or Check by hand. A missing answer, the ZIP code included, reads Check by hand. =IF(COUNTA(A2:G2)=0,"",IF(G2="","Check by hand",IF(NOT(H2),"Out of area",IF(I2,"Calendar",IF(OR(E2="",F2="",SUBSTITUTE(E2,"_"," ")="Something else"),"Check by hand","Nurture text"))))) K booked Type Y when they book. L showed Type Y when they turn up. M notes Anything else. N (empty) O your_service_zips The ZIP codes you serve, one per row. With column O empty, every ZIP code counts as yours. Some exports write answers with underscores, like just_researching. The formulas read those too. If your export words the answers differently, change the words in the formulas to match. USE THE SHEET 1. In Google Sheets, choose File, Import, Upload, and pick filter-template.csv. Leave "Convert text to numbers, dates, and formulas" ticked. 2. Check it works (below). Then clear columns A to G on the example and the made-up rows. Keep the formulas in H to J. 3. Type the ZIP codes you serve down column O, over the test ones. Sheets drops a leading 0 (07030 shows as 7030) in both columns, and the match still works. 4. Your form's download won't have the columns in this order. Copy each one across: the date into A, the name into B, the phone into C, where it came from into D, and the three answers into E, F and G. 5. Select H2 to J2 and drag the corner down to your last row. 6. Filter column J, route, to see each group. CHECK IT WORKS Type 80203 in O3, under the example's 80202. The example row, Roof repair, This week, 80202, should read Calendar. Type these made-up rows under it and drag the formulas down: Test: Dana R. Roof replacement Just researching 80202 -> Nurture text Test: Lee M. Roof repair This month 80401 -> Out of area Test: Alex P. Something else This week 80203 -> Check by hand Test: Chris B. Roof repair This week (no ZIP) -> Check by hand BEFORE YOU TEXT ANYONE No tick, no text. Text only people who agreed to be texted on your form. Put a box on the form that they tick to agree, and keep that answer with the lead. The exact wording of that box is yours to settle with your own adviser. If anyone replies STOP, send them nothing else. These notes are general guidance, not legal advice.