Before you buy leads,know what you areactually buying.
Every lead vendor promises quality. The difference is structural: who else gets the lead, what was verified before it reached you, and how fast someone calls it. Here is how to tell them apart — and where we sit.
| Shared marketplace | Capped-shared | Exclusive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who else gets the lead | Three to five competitors, sold simultaneously | One co-buyer maximum | Nobody — the lead is yours alone |
| First-contact race | You race four strangers for the same buyer | You race one | There is no race |
| Typical close rate | Low — price-shopped before you call | Middle | 15–30% higher than shared |
| Cost per lead | Cheapest sticker price | Lower per lead | 2–4× a shared lead — usually the better cost per sale |
| What you are really buying | A chance to dial fast | Better odds | An actual sales opportunity |
Close-rate ranges are directional 2026 benchmarks — your numbers depend on niche, speed and sales process.
How many buyers get this lead?
If the answer is vague, assume five. "Real-time" does not mean exclusive — marketplaces sell the same lead to multiple buyers within the same minute.
What counts as a lead?
A form fill is not a lead. Ask what is verified: intent, timeframe, budget band, ownership, contactability. If the vendor cannot describe qualification, you are buying raw data.
Where does the lead come from?
Legitimate vendors can describe the source. Leads generated through deceptive ads or scraped lists poison your close rate and your compliance posture.
What consent travels with it?
Ask for the disclosure text, timestamp, and IP recorded at capture. If you plan to call or text, you need a consent record naming your company — not a generic checkbox.
How fast is it delivered — and followed up?
A lead loses most of its value in the first hour. If the vendor delivers a CSV at the end of the week, you are buying leads that are already cold.
What happens when the lead is bad?
Disconnected numbers, renters, out-of-area. Ask about the return or credit policy before you buy — the vendors who do not have one are telling you something.
Exclusive leads still die in a slow pipeline. Every lead we sell is contacted by AI voice and SMS within five minutes of capture — qualified, consent-recorded, and booked toward an appointment before a competitor would have even opened the file. The lead and the follow-up are one product.
Buying leads — or thinking about it?
Tell us your niche, your geography and your volume. We will come back with realistic per-lead numbers and exclusivity options — and show you the qualification and consent trail before you buy anything.