Progressive Profiling: The Key to Collecting Data Without Weirding People Out

Imagine you’re at a business conference where you’re seated next to a fellow marketer. He leans over, introduces himself and asks your name. “I’m Tom,” you say. “Full name?” he asks. A bit uneasy, you offer your last name, half wondering if he didn’t want your middle name as well. “Where are you from,” he asks. “Knoxville, Tennessee,” you reply.

“Hometown, birthplace and date of birth?” he inquires without missing a beat “Uh, I’m originally from Texas,” you respond, moving your seat slightly further away. “Do you have kids?” he asks. “Yeah, two,” you reply, praying for your cell phone to ring. “And their names, interests and preference for Twilight or Harry Potter?” he adds. And that’s when you remember you’ve got a meeting to make and politely excuse yourself.

Fortunately, most people have the good sense not to shake your hand and ask for your entire personal history within the first 30 seconds. Yet that’s essentially the approach some companies take when they ask customers and prospects to fill out lengthy forms requesting information that seemingly has nothing to do with the original offer. Simply put, asking all these questions before you’ve established a relationship can create distrust and lead to form abandonment.