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When you first do the math, cheap leads seem like a great deal. More names = more calls = more projects... right?
But if you’ve ever tried to sell your services to these leads, you’ll know they usually aren’t worth the trouble. You spend tons of time chasing ‘low-quality’ prospects, wasting your effort and money and dealing with a lot of frustration.
Bottom line: Cheap leads are not anywhere as cheap as they first seem. They come with poor close rates, more cancellations, and hidden costs that frustrate you and your team.
1. You’re Not Buying Leads. You’re Paying to Enter a Competition.
When leads are sold to multiple contractors, it’s a race to see who can reach the homeowner first. You might think you’re paying less upfront, but in reality, you’re spending the same or more once you account for rejection and lost time. That “cheaper” lead can actually cost you 20% or more in hidden expenses.
The result: Wasted time, constant rejection and lower close rates.
Even if you’re fast and professional, being one of six calls in a single afternoon makes it hard to stand out. The experience becomes frustrating for both you and the homeowner.
Instead of focusing on selling your services, you're forced to focus on speed. And that pressure can negatively impact the quality of your first impression + it often forces you to compete on price which is a terrible place to be.
2. Time Is Money. And You’re Wasting It.
Following up on low-quality leads takes time away from what really matters, meeting with serious clients, managing jobs and running your business. Every bad lead you speak with isn’t just a missed opportunity. It’s wasted time you can’t get back.
Ask yourself: if it takes lead after lead just to win one job, is it really saving you money?
A survey by HubSpot found that salespeople spend more than 21% of their day writing emails and 17% prospecting and researching leads. Much of this time will be wasted by chasing bad leads when your team could be focused on closing new projects.
And it’s not just about the volume of leads. It’s about the quality of your workday. Would you rather spend your morning dialing 20 unresponsive homeowners or walking through a potential project with a prospect who is ready to buy?
3. Cheap Leads Don’t Scale With You
Cheap leads may be manageable when you’re just starting out, but they don’t scale well as your business grows. As your team grows and your calendar fills, you need leads you can count on, not a constant stream of ‘maybes’ or ‘nos’.
Inconsistent quality, unreliable contact info and overlapping calls waste your team’s time and lower your return on investment.
As your calendar fills, cheap leads don’t just slow you down, they frustrate your team and eat into resources you’ll be paying for anyway.
Investing in higher-quality, exclusive leads makes things a lot easier because you can streamline your process, forecast business more accurately and build a more stable foundation.
4. Your Reputation Can Take a Hit
When homeowners are contacted by multiple contractors, they feel overwhelmed and often become annoyed. Contractor calls become almost ‘spam-like’.
Trust is harder to build when you’re one of many. You may be professional and polite, but if a homeowner has already received five similar calls, you’re likely to be met with resistance or ignored entirely.
Homeowners often describe the experience as “spam-like”. Frustrating for them and damaging to your reputation.
"We used to get complaints from homeowners saying, 'I’ve been called five times already.' Since switching to exclusive leads, that problem disappeared. It makes us look more professional." Briana C., Bathroom Remodeler
Think about how hard you work to deliver a good customer experience. Don’t let the first impression a homeowner has of you be annoying!
Want to learn how Briana grew her business with exclusive HomeBuddy leads? Read the full case study on our blog.
5. Poor Close Rates Raise Your True Cost Per Project
A cheap lead might sound like a bargain, but if only a fraction of them ever close, your true cost per project rises significantly. In fact, exclusive leads often close at a much higher rate, meaning you spend less overall, even if the upfront price seems higher.
Unpredictable close rates also make it harder to forecast your earnings and plan your team’s work ahead of time.
Higher close rates mean fewer follow-ups, less frustration and better use of your time. And when each lead is more likely to convert, you can spend more time on your core business… preparing estimates, delivering great service and growing your company.
6. Burnout Is Real.
Chasing homeowners who didn’t ask to be contacted. Getting ghosted after quoting. Fighting five other contractors for the same job. It can wear you down and drain your energy and morale. It’s brutal!
Dead-end leads don’t just stay in your CRM tool, because they are so unpleasant and stressful, they follow you into your evenings, your weekends and even infect your mindset. Over time you can get burnt out, with high turnover on your team and missed opportunities to grow your business.
To help you with some best practices that reduce the stress of prospecting, our Call Center team built a simple One-Pager with follow-up tips, scripts and automation ideas to make the process smoother.
Download it here to save time, improve your results and protect your mental energy.
Want To Try Quality Over Quantity?
At HomeBuddy, our exclusive leads go to one contractor only. There is no competition with other contractors... no reselling… no confusion, only homeowners ready to speak about their project.
We’re here to help with leads that match your goals of business growth and a more efficient sales process. If you’re ready to try exclusive leads, we’d love to talk! Get In Touch Today!
