For trade businesses
Exclusive versus shared leads
Two lead sellers can quote you the same price for what looks like the same enquiry, and one of them can be worth four times the other. The difference is how many businesses it was sold to, and it is the thing least likely to be printed on the pricing page.
What sharing does to the maths
Suppose an enquiry costs $20 either way. Sold once, you are the only quote and whether you win comes down to you: how fast you call back, how well you price, how you come across. Sold to four businesses, three of you lose, and every one of the four paid the same $20.
So a shared lead at $20 is really costing you closer to $80 per job you win, before you account for the time spent quoting jobs that were already gone. That is the whole argument. It is also why shared leads can look cheap on a rate card and feel expensive by the end of the month.
What it does to the customer
The part that gets discussed less: the homeowner who filled in one form and then took five calls in two days did not enjoy that either. They stop answering, which makes the lead worse for everyone who bought it, and they tell people the whole thing was a mistake. Sharing degrades the product on both sides at once.
How to tell what you are being offered
Sellers rarely say "shared". The language to watch for is "matched with up to four local pros", "compare quotes", or anything that describes the customer receiving multiple responses. That is the consumer-side promise of a shared model, and it is usually right there on their own homepage.
Five questions before you pay anyone
Including us. If a seller will not answer these plainly, that is the answer.
01
How many businesses is this enquiry sold to?
The only question that really matters. If the answer is anything other than one, you are buying a race. Some sellers say 'up to four' as though that is a limit rather than a business model.
02
Is that a cap or a guarantee?
'Up to three' and 'no more than one' are very different promises. Get the answer in writing, because it is the term most likely to change quietly once you are a customer.
03
What happens if the lead is junk?
Wrong trade, wrong region, disconnected number, or an enquiry that was never real. A seller confident in their filtering will credit it. One that argues is telling you how often it happens.
04
What is the minimum commitment?
A monthly minimum or a fixed term turns a variable cost into a fixed one, which is the thing that hurts in a quiet month.
05
What does the enquiry actually contain?
A name and a number is a cold call. A described job, a property type, a location and an urgency is something you can price. Ask to see a real example with the contact details removed.
Our answers
One business, and that is a guarantee rather than a cap. A lead you cannot work is credited if you tell us within five working days. No minimum and no fixed term. Every enquiry arrives with the job described, because our forms ask about the work before they ask for a phone number. All of that is on our promise page in the same words.