Should your form ask "Are you the decision maker?"

Many lead forms ask, near the end, "Are you the decision maker?" It takes a second to read. It tells you very little. And it can put off the people most worth talking to.

What is wrong with asking "Are you the decision maker?"#

It asks people to rank themselves. Saying no can feel like admitting they do not count, so many people say yes. The answer you get is often a guess at what you want to hear.

The people who say no can be worth the most effort. Someone comparing studios for their boss is doing the work of choosing. Next week they may bring the boss to the call. A question that sounds like a filter tells them to try someone else.

Even an honest yes is vague. It can mean:

1. An owner who signs off on anything.
2. A manager who can approve up to $5,000 alone.
3. A homeowner who decides, but wants their partner to see the quote first.

All three answer yes. Each one needs a different call.

What should you ask instead?#

Ask who else will help decide. That asks for a fact about the job, not a rank. Every answer is an ordinary answer.

Here is one way to write it, with example answers:

Take a tenant asking a contractor about a repair. A tenant is not a worse lead, only one who needs approval. The answer helps you plan the reply. It should not decide whether you reply.

Sometimes you do not need to ask at all. People often say it on their own: "I'll have to run this past my partner." In Qualiform, a question set to Infer only is never asked. The AI fills it in from what the visitor says, or leaves it blank. Use Infer only when even a gentle question would feel pushy.

How do you score who else is involved?#

Score it, but lightly. Who decides changes how a sale goes. It rarely changes whether the job is a fit. The Design or web studio template already scores decision authority, and never asks it outright. To write your own:

1. Make it a list. Set Answer format to Pick one. Then write three to five answers under Answers people can pick, like the table above.
2. Grade each answer. Give each answer its own credit. Give "Just me" the most. Give the others a little less, but never none.
3. Keep its share small. Under How much it counts, pick Low or Minimal. Fit questions, such as the type of work or where the job is, should count more.
4. Ask it once, gently. Set When to ask to Ask if you can, and Asks up to to one. The AI then asks if there is a natural opening, and drops it if not.
5. Mark no answer as a dealbreaker. A dealbreaker answer turns a lead away. Careful: this can turn away a researcher bringing the buyer next week.

In Qualiform, skipping a question never lowers a score. A question nobody answered is left out of the score, not counted as zero. If someone says "I'd rather not say," the AI records that as a refusal and does not ask again.

When is asking directly fine?#

On some forms the question is not needed at all. A homeowner booking a drain repair is almost always the one deciding. Leave the question out there. Save the round of back and forth for where the job is and how soon.

A direct question also works better out loud than on a form. On a call you hear the pause before "well, sort of." On a form you only see the word yes. If you want to ask "Are you the one signing off?", ask it on the call.

How do you check it is worth asking?#

Take your last ten inquiries that turned into work. For each one, write down who else was involved. If most had a partner, a boss, or a team, the question earns its place, and "Just me" should not get much more credit than the others. If almost all were "Just me," drop the question and let your fit questions do the scoring.

Asking who else is involved, instead of who is in charge, gets you a fact you can plan around. For the other questions worth asking, read the guide to qualifying leads from your contact form.