Why Are Leads Sold to Multiple Traders?
Selling one enquiry to several trades is how the pay-per-lead model is designed. Understand the model, and you can decide how to work with it.
The short answer
Because that's how the pay-per-lead model earns. Once you understand the model, you can decide how to work with it.
On many lead platforms, each tradesperson who wants a customer's details pays for them. Sending one enquiry to several trades means the provider earns from it several times, and the customer gets a choice of quotes. It's commonly reported that a single enquiry can go to as many as four tradespeople. That isn't hidden; it's how the model is designed, and it's usually set out in the platform's terms.
The effect on you is that you're paying to enter a competition, not to receive a job. Your chances depend on how fast you respond, how you come across and, often, your price. This page explains why platforms work this way and how to handle shared leads if you use them.
The economics
Why sharing makes sense for a platform
Most of the effort in lead generation goes into attracting the customer in the first place. Once a homeowner has submitted an enquiry, passing it to more trades costs the platform very little extra, while each extra trade pays. Sharing spreads that cost across several paying contractors, which is one reason shared leads usually cost less each than exclusive ones.
Platforms also point to the customer side. Homeowners are often advised to get more than one quote, and a platform that supplies several makes that easy. From the customer's point of view it's a convenience. From yours, it means competition from the first minute.
Models differ between platforms and change over time, so check the current terms of any service you use. Checkatrade vs MyBuilder vs Rated People and Bark for tradespeople, reviewed set out how each one works, and pay per lead vs subscription compares the two main ways of charging.
Both sides
What a shared lead means for each party
For the customer
- Several quotes without ringing round
- A choice of trades and prices
- Several calls in a short space of time
For the contractor
- A lower price per lead
- Competition from the first minute
- Speed and price carry more weight
- More leads needed to win each job
A fair reading
Treat a shared lead as a chance to quote
It helps to see the product plainly. A shared lead is a chance to quote, not a job, and it's priced accordingly. Judge it on that basis and you'll spend more wisely.
The contractors who do well on shared leads tend to have built their process around them: fast replies, a standard quote layout they can fill in quickly, and a clear sense of which enquiries to skip. Those who struggle are often buying the same leads with habits built for referrals, where the customer has already decided they want you. Neither approach is wrong. They simply need different habits, and it's worth being honest about which one your business runs on.
Working with shared leads
How to improve your odds
Respond first, and properly
Speed matters most on shared leads. A prompt, specific reply that books a visit beats a missed call returned the next day.
Stand out on the quote
When several firms quote, the clearest document often wins. Itemise the work and set out your warranty and timing.
Filter hard
Only pay for job types and areas you win consistently. On shared leads, marginal enquiries rarely justify their cost.
Shared leads cost less each, but you need more of them. Judge them by cost per job won, and read why shared leads don't convert for the common reasons they underperform.
The alternative
Enquiries that go to one contractor
The opposite approach is an exclusive lead, or a network that appoints a contractor rather than selling access. Mortaro Group works the second way. We generate enquiries ourselves and appoint one contractor from our network to each. Enquiries are never sold or shared, and there's no charge per enquiry.
Which contractor is appointed depends on track record: response speed, communication, professionalism with customers and completed work. That's explained in how opportunities are allocated, and the exclusivity point in is the work exclusive?
Straight answers
Shared lead questions
How many traders get the same lead?
It varies by platform and changes over time. It's commonly reported that an enquiry can go to up to four tradespeople. Check the current terms of the platform you're using.
Is a contractor network the same as a lead platform?
No. A network generally takes on more of the work around the job, rather than passing on contact details. Lead generation vs a contractor network compares the two.
Can shared leads still be worth it?
Yes, for some contractors. If you respond quickly, quote well and your cost per job won sits comfortably below your margin, shared leads can pay. The point is to measure it rather than assume.
For contractors
Tell us about your business
Your trade, the areas you cover and the size of work you take on. A person reads every enquiry, and if it looks like a fit we will send you the full application.