Bradley burned $430 testing a contact form submission service—and walked away with one $99/month client. On paper, it looked like a fail. In practice, it exposed exactly what not to do and gave us thousands of valid contractor contacts sitting in our CRM. The real lesson? With the right setup—dedicated numbers, automation, and clear follow-up—this same play can shift from an expensive headache into a scalable lead-gen channel. Here’s the breakdown of what went wrong and how to fix it.
Table of Contents
What we'll cover
- How the contact form service worked and what we paid for
- What went wrong during the campaign
- Why the campaign still gave us something useful
- Step-by-step fixes we will use next time
- Frequently asked questions and quick answers
Contact Form Submission Tool Update
We wanted to test a contact form submission tool that promises to submit forms on behalf of marketers to thousands of businesses. The offer requires a minimum of 10,000 submissions at 4 cents per submission. That equals $400. There’s also a small fee to generate the list of targets, so our total was about $430.
On paper that seemed reasonable. We thought: 10,000 touches, even if only a tiny fraction respond, we should get some opportunities. We went in and let the service run for two to three weeks. The results were not what we expected.
Contact Form Service Overview: What we learned
Here’s how the campaign actually behaved and why it caused problems.
- All replies hit our main email and phone: We used our primary business email and the phone number that’s connected to our HighLevel account. Every inbound email, SMS, and voicemail created a contact record in our CRM. That part was good. It meant every reply was logged and tracked.
- We got hammered with calls and messages: Dozens of contractors started calling and texting our main line. Many contact forms were from job boards or platforms with automatic confirmation SMS and email workflows, so replies came fast. We had voicemails, missed calls, emails, and SMS across the day.
- Confusing callbacks from voicemail behavior: Years ago we used ringless voicemail drops for cold outreach. That taught us that many contractors see a missed call and call back instead of listening to the voicemail. That behavior returned here. People thought they were requesting a service estimate and called us back, not realizing we were pitching a review tool or directory listing service.
- We sold one client: Out of all that noise, we converted one contractor. That client signed up for a $99/month review service. To cover the $430 spend, they need to remain a client for about four months. That’s not great, but not nothing either.
Got SEO Questions? Get answers every week at 4pm ET at Hump Day Hangouts. Ask questions ahead of time, or live – just go to: https://semanticmastery.com/hdho (bookmark this!) 10+ years of insights given every week!
Get your checklist to help get better results with GBPs, faster.
Why the campaign wasn’t a total waste
Even though sales were low, the campaign did give us real assets. Every incoming email or SMS created a contact in HighLevel. That means we now have thousands of verified contacts for tree service contractors across the United States in our CRM. These are businesses that responded through a contact form and thus have valid emails or phone numbers. That list has real value if we handle it right.
So while the initial ROI looked poor, the raw data we captured is a foundation we can work with. Instead of a one-off loss, we view the spend as buying a database of active contacts — but only if we follow up with the right systems.
How we would do it differently next time
We mapped out a new setup that will prevent the chaos and turn this idea into a reliable funnel. These steps are practical and can be set up in a few hours if we plan the workflow first.
1. Use a dedicated phone number and email
Never send submissions using your main business phone or email. Create a new phone number inside HighLevel for this campaign. Route all replies to that number so inbound calls, voicemails, and SMS stay isolated. Use a separate email box or an alias for campaign replies. This keeps your main business line calm and reduces confusion.
2. Build an automatic clarifying reply
Create an automation that triggers on any inbound reply tied to the campaign number or email. The autoresponder should:
- Thank the sender for reaching out
- Explain briefly what the contact form submission was about (for example, directory listing verification or review service)
- Provide a clear next step: either a link to a landing page, a calendar booking slot, or instructions to reply with a keyword
This short message removes the confusion of people thinking they asked for a job estimate. It also frees us from answering dozens of live calls to deliver the same explanation.
3. Set up a landing page and booking flow
Instead of trying to close everyone over SMS or voicemail, direct interested contacts to a landing page with more details and a calendar link. A simple page with a short video or FAQs helps set expectations and improves conversion when they book an appointment. If someone books, the CRM captures that intent and we can put them into a nurture and sales flow.
4. Add a voicemail-drop follow-up sequence
If a call comes in and no one picks up, use a wait step in the workflow and then trigger a voicemail drop back to that number. The voicemail can explain the campaign and offer the calendar link. Because the voicemail is specific, it reduces confusion and increases the chance of a useful reply.
5. Create a short SMS drip and email follow-up
Many contractors will read a text faster than an email. Set up a short 3–5 message SMS sequence and parallel email thread that restates what the submission was about and prompts them to take the next action. Keep messages short and friendly. Automate opt-outs and do not spam.
6. Segment and tag contacts as they respond
Tag contacts by response type: booked, asked for estimate, not interested, unclear reply. That makes future follow-up precise. For example, those who asked for an estimate go to a different sales flow. Those who booked get onboarding sequences. Bad contacts or duplicates get cleaned.
7. Track cost per lead and cost per sale
Measure the campaign spend, the number of responses, and number of conversions. With these numbers we can decide whether to scale, tweak targeting, or pause. If the cost per booked client is too high, we test smaller audiences or change the offer on the landing page.
Simple workflow we will run next time
- Buy the contact form submission service with a new campaign email and dedicated phone number.
- Set up automation in HighLevel: inbound trigger → autoresponder SMS + email → landing page with calendar.
- If no click within 24 hours, trigger voicemail drop → follow-up SMS → final email.
- Tag responses and route to appropriate sales flow.
- Review results in two weeks, optimize copy and wait times, then scale.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using your main business phone for mass outreach.
- Failing to explain the purpose of the contact in the first reply.
- Letting replies go to voicemail or inbox without automation.
- Not tagging and segmenting contacts right away.
- Not tracking the real cost per sale and breaking point for profitability.
Lessons learned and future improvements
We made a few clear mistakes and found a few surprises. The mistakes were mostly setup errors: using our main lines and not building automation ahead of time. The surprises were that the campaign filled our CRM with thousands of valid contacts, and that we still found one paying client despite no follow-up automation or sales sequence.
Going forward, we treat this tactic as a list-building method rather than a direct sales tool unless we set follow-ups up properly. If we automate the first touch, clarify the purpose, and add a clean booking funnel, our conversion rate should rise a lot. It will take time to set up the automations, but that time is worth it when we can scale to 10,000 touches with minimal manual work.
FAQ
Q: Was the $430 spend wasted?
A: Not entirely. We bought a database of active contacts. The spend gave us thousands of valid entries to follow up with. With the right automation, that list can produce far more clients over time.
Q: Should we test this again?
A: Yes, but only after we set up a dedicated number, separate email, and automated clarifying replies. The second test will show much better conversion once the confusion is removed.
Q: What does the autoresponder message need to say?
A: Keep it short. Thank them, state what the contact was about in one sentence, and offer a next step (link or book). For example: “Thanks — we submitted your info to verify your directory listing. This isn’t an estimate request. If you want to learn more about our review service, click here to book a time.”
Q: What about people who call back asking for an estimate?
A: That will happen. The autoresponder helps. For calls, route them to a script or agent who can say: “We’re not scheduling tree work today — we were verifying your business info. If you want a review or directory service, here’s a link.” Or offer to transfer to a sales person who handles that topic.
Q: Is ringless voicemail okay to use?
A: Ringless voicemail can be useful, but rules vary by location. We recommend checking local regulations and your platform’s policies before running ringless drops at scale.
Q: What metrics should we track?
A: Track submissions, replies, bookings, conversions, cost per booked lead, and cost per client. Watch how many contacts become paying clients and calculate break-even time based on monthly fees.
Final thoughts
This experiment cost us about $430 and delivered one client plus a massive new contact list. That felt like a mistake at first, but with a few fixes we can turn it into a repeatable channel. The keys are preparation, isolation of campaign assets, and automation to clarify intent. When we do that, hitting 10,000 contacts in a campaign becomes less scary and more profitable.
We’ll run the improved version soon and report back with numbers. If you plan to try this, take the time to set up a separate phone and email, write a short autoresponder, and build a landing page with a booking option before you press go.