This morning on my email from my web site I received a promotional email from a construction company consulting web site. The item they were promoting I did have interest in and desired.

"Everything You Need to Know About Pricing Your Services
Striking a balance between profitability and having competitive rates is a common challenge renovation professionals face. How you price your services can determine if your business turns a profit or not.

To help, Houzz, the leading platform for home renovation and design, has developed a complete guide to help you set strategic pricing for your business and provide insights into the four common pricing questions that all business owners face.
Get the Guide Then click button link for the guide download

I clicked on the link and there was quite a large form to fill out giving them all of your current information minus financial info. At that point I stopped and did not fill out the form. In the past in this type of situation then they would want your credit card information. After they get financial info then you may get the price of the item and a accurate description of the item. Anyway I have made personal policy to never ever obtain an offer in this manner. So my suspicious nature and past experience has caused me not to fill out their form.
I believe that these practices are what makes it difficult to get people to click on forms. I think it is a good example of how not to conduct a promotional.
Another one I really hate is the one where you want an answer to their question and you click on it and get a video and 20 minutes into the video you still do not have satisfaction or are seeking the answer still. I have never completely watched the promotional videos they could be eternal for all I know. So you click on the second link to obtain the info that they tease you with and then you go through the process of giving all contact and financial info to get the precious item or information. I am of the opinion that this type of practice should be criminal. Unfortunately there is probably more of this type of practice rather than proper practices on the internet. These practices I believe are the reason why people are reluctant to click on forms.
Would be interested to hear from fellow site designers on this issue.

Yea I agree with you 100%. To be honest unless its something I have searched out I will never fill them out. Now if an organization that I know and trust is sending me a complicated form depending on what it is I will fill it out to help them out.

When designing for myself or clients I always suggest to keep them simple and short. Over all there is way better conversion rates when you make it easier for the client to contact you.

Another practice I hate is, if you are reading the content of a site or mail campaign, and as soon as you start moving your cursor up to the browser back button, or the close button, you get some nagging trying to get you to stay on the page.
And yet another practice is, if you buy something on-line, and at the payment you get this question of adding some xyz gizmus to your order, and when you click no thanks, there is another offer of another gizmus popping up.

I did actually once sit for nearly 45 minutes listening until the end at one such 'sermon' that Greg is mentioning. Wasted time if you ask me.

Thank your for the endorsing responses to my critical review of many promotional campaigns. I get warm fuzzies knowing that very many of my fellow forum-ers share my sentiments. Also get irritated by campaigns that have a click to withdraw from subscription on things you have not subscribed to, guess they auto subscribe all persons sent the email.