The short version
- A shared lead is sold to several agencies at once; an exclusive lead is sold to one.
- With shared leads you're racing the other buyers to the phone.
- Exclusive leads cost more per lead, so compare the cost per client won.
- Get “exclusive” defined in writing: one buyer, never resold later.
- Ask to see a real lead as delivered, and what happens when one is wrong.
02How exclusive leads work
An exclusive lead is sold to one buyer only. No other agency gets that business's details or request from the same seller, now or later. You still have to win the client, but nobody else is calling about the same request.
Ours are exclusive by default. Each one is a business owner who replied to our outreach showing interest, delivered to one agency and never sold again.
03Exclusive vs shared leads, side by side
| Shared lead | Exclusive lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Who else gets it | Several providers at once | Only you |
| Your first call | A race against the other buyers | No one else calling about it |
| What the business hears | Several pitches for one request | Yours |
| Price per lead | Lower | Higher |
| What decides the deal | Speed to the phone | How well you answer |
Compare the cost per client won, not the cost per lead. A cheap lead that three other agencies also called can cost more in the end than a dearer one you work alone.
04What “exclusive” should mean in writing
“Exclusive” is a word anyone can print on a sales page. Before you pay, get the seller to confirm in writing:
- The lead goes to you and no other buyer.
- It is never resold later, not even once a period of exclusivity runs out.
- What happens when a lead turns out to be wrong, and how long you have to flag it.
05Questions to ask any lead seller
- Can I see a real lead, exactly as it's delivered?
- Is each lead a reply, a form fill or just a contact from a list?
- Who else receives it, now or later?
- What comes with each lead: name, email, phone, source, what they said?
- Do I pay per lead, per list, or per month whatever comes of it?
- How steady is delivery? (One SEO agency has had 373 deliveries from us, never more than 6 days apart.)
07Neither is a lead list
A list of businesses that fit your market isn't a lead at all, shared or exclusive: nobody on it has asked to hear from you. Why scraped lists rarely reply, and what a reply looks like instead.
08How our leads work
We email local businesses in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia for you, and pass on the ones who reply with interest, with their reply attached. Each lead is exclusive to you and paid for per lead. See our leads for agencies.
09Questions people ask
What is an exclusive lead?
A prospect sold to one buyer only and never resold. For an agency, it means no other agency gets that business's details or request from the same seller. Ask the seller to put that in writing, including whether the exclusivity ever ends.
What are shared leads?
Requests from businesses, usually form fills on quote sites or lead marketplaces, that are sold to several providers at the same time. Every buyer contacts the same business, so the one who calls first often wins and the rest have paid for a name that's taken.
Are exclusive leads worth the higher price?
They are when you win clients through a careful first conversation rather than speed. With a shared lead you pay for a turn at a business that's hearing from other agencies at the same time; with an exclusive one, nobody else is calling about it. Compare cost per client won, not cost per lead.
How much do exclusive leads cost?
It varies with the country, the industry and how strict the qualification is, so be wary of any single number. Ours are priced per lead once we know who you want to reach, and you'll have the figure the same day.