If you're tired of collecting “just okay” leads through endless generic forms, you’re not alone. B2B lead capture is a mess of half-filled spreadsheets, “bad fit” contacts, and time-wasting follow-ups. The good news? With some careful tweaks—especially using custom fields in Leadformly—you can cut the noise and focus on leads that actually matter.
This guide is for anyone running B2B marketing or sales who wants less busywork and more qualified leads. I’ll walk you through how to use custom fields in Leadformly to build a workflow that works for your business, not just for some theoretical “best practice.” Let’s get practical.
Why Custom Fields Matter (And Why Most People Get Them Wrong)
Most default lead forms only scratch the surface: name, email, maybe company size if you’re lucky. But in B2B, you often need more—like industry, buying authority, pain points, or budget. This is where custom fields come in.
Here’s the catch: more fields can mean fewer completions. If you ask the wrong questions, or too many, your form becomes a lead repellent. The trick is to strike a balance: capture enough info to qualify leads, but not so much that people bail halfway through.
Pro tip: Before you add a field, ask yourself: Will collecting this info actually save me time later? Or am I just being nosy?
Step 1: Audit Your Current Lead Capture Workflow
Before you start adding custom fields, take a hard look at your current workflow.
- What info do you truly need?
- Which fields do your sales team actually use?
- What information do you wish you had before a first call?
- Where do leads fall through the cracks?
- Are you spending time chasing obviously bad-fit leads?
- Are you missing details that would help you route or prioritize leads?
Don’t: Try to fix everything at once. Focus on the key bottlenecks or biggest time-wasters first.
Step 2: Map Out Your “Ideal” Lead Profile
Grab a pen or open a doc. Define what a qualified lead looks like for your business.
- What’s their company size? Industry? Role?
- Do they have a problem you solve?
- Are they the decision-maker, or just researching?
This isn’t busywork. The point is to decide what you need to know up front to separate the wheat from the chaff. These are your must-have custom fields.
Step 3: Set Up Custom Fields in Leadformly
Now, let’s get hands-on. In Leadformly, you can add just about any field you want—checkboxes, dropdowns, text inputs, you name it. Here’s how to do it smartly:
- Log into Leadformly and open your form.
- Click to add a new field. Choose the type (text, dropdown, multi-select, etc.).
- Name your field clearly. (“Annual Revenue” is better than “Revenue”)
- Set up field logic (if needed).
- Show or hide questions based on previous answers.
- Example: Only ask about “number of locations” if they say they’re a multi-site business.
- Make it optional—unless it’s absolutely vital.
- Fewer required fields = higher completion rates.
- Test it. Fill out the form yourself. Would you finish it if you were a busy exec?
What works: - Using dropdowns for common answers (industry verticals, company size). - Multi-step forms that break up questions (less intimidating than one long list). - Tooltips or “Why we ask” blurbs for sensitive questions.
What doesn’t: - Open-ended questions that take too long to answer. - Asking for budget up front—unless you have a good reason. - Making every field required just because “sales wants it.”
Step 4: Connect Custom Fields to Your CRM or Workflow
Don’t let good data die in a spreadsheet. Leadformly lets you map custom fields directly to your CRM or other tools.
- Map each custom field to your CRM field.
- Double-check the data types match (e.g., don’t send “10-50 employees” as plain text if your CRM expects a number).
- Test for edge cases.
- What happens if someone enters “Other” or leaves a field blank?
- Automate follow-up based on data.
- Route big-ticket leads straight to a senior rep.
- Trigger nurture sequences for early-stage leads.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure how a field’s data will be used, ask your sales team. No sense gathering info nobody looks at.
Step 5: Use Field Logic to Pre-Qualify (Without Scaring People Off)
The magic of custom fields isn’t just collecting more data—it’s collecting the right data, then using it to make smarter decisions.
- Conditional logic: Ask extra questions only when relevant.
- Example: If someone says they’re a “Procurement Manager,” ask about their purchasing process.
- Progressive profiling: Show fewer fields to returning visitors, or ask for more info over time.
- Scoring: Use answers to auto-score leads (but don’t over-engineer it).
Warning: There’s a fine line between qualifying and interrogating. If your form feels like a tax return, expect lots of abandoned leads.
Step 6: Keep Iterating—Don’t “Set and Forget”
You won’t get your form perfect on the first try. The best teams review their form data monthly or quarterly to spot:
- Which fields people skip or get stuck on
- Which answers match your best customers
- Where “bad-fit” leads are still slipping through
Cut or rework fields that aren’t helping. Add new ones only if they’ll make follow-up easier or more targeted.
What to Ignore (No Matter What the “Experts” Say)
Some advice is everywhere, but it doesn’t mean it’s right for you.
- Long, multi-page forms = better leads. Sometimes true, often not. If you go this route, your value prop better be strong.
- Ask for everything up front. No—get just enough to qualify, and earn the rest later.
- “More data = more personalization.” Only if you actually use the data. Otherwise, it’s just friction.
Real-World Examples: Custom Fields That Actually Help
Here are some custom fields that tend to deliver value in B2B:
- “What’s your biggest challenge right now?” (Short dropdown, not an essay box.)
- Role/Title (For routing leads to the right rep.)
- Estimated budget range (Optional, unless your pricing is public.)
- How soon are you looking to start? (Helps with prioritization.)
- Industry or vertical (For tailored follow-ups.)
And ones that usually don’t:
- Fax number (yes, people still ask)
- “Tell us about your company” (open text—no one likes this)
- “How did you hear about us?” (unless you actually use this data)
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Stay Flexible
Don’t let form-building become its own full-time job. Focus on a handful of custom fields that genuinely make your follow-ups faster and your pipeline stronger. Test, tweak, and—most importantly—listen to the people actually using the leads.
You don’t need the fanciest form. You just need one that gets you the right info, without chasing prospects away. Start simple, iterate, and remember: sometimes less really is more.