Home Improvement Leads: What You're Really Paying For

Every installer has had the email. "Exclusive homeowner leads in your area, from just £X." Sometimes it's good. Often you end up ringing someone who filled in a form for a free quote on something else entirely, while two other firms ring them too.

This isn't an anti-lead-company rant. Plenty of firms use bought leads sensibly. It's a guide to working out what you're really paying, so you can decide with numbers instead of a sales pitch. If you want the broader comparison of all four ways to pay for enquiries, read buying leads vs generating your own.

Where home improvement leads actually come from

Almost every lead company does the same thing underneath: it runs adverts (usually on Google, Facebook or Instagram), sends homeowners to a quote form, and then sells the details on. What differs is how many times it sells them, and to whom.

• Shared leads: the same enquiry goes to several installers, often three or four. Cheapest per lead. It's a race to the phone.
• Exclusive leads: sold to one installer. More expensive per lead, usually better to convert — but "exclusive" has no fixed definition.
• Directories and marketplaces: homeowners post jobs or browse profiles, and you pay to be listed or to respond.
• Comparison and quote sites: a homeowner asks for multiple quotes on purpose. You're expected to compete on price.

Notice who the homeowner thinks they're talking to in each case. It's the lead company, not you. That matters later.

A lead is not a job

Between "lead received" and "deposit paid" there's a funnel, and every step loses people:

1. 1You try to contact them. Some never answer.
2. 2You speak to them. Some were only browsing, or wanted something you don't do.
3. 3You book a survey or send a quote. Some go quiet.
4. 4They compare you with the others who rang. Some go with the cheapest.
5. 5A few say yes.

The lead company is paid at step one. You're paid at step five. Everything in between is your time, your fuel and your evenings.

Working out the real cost per job

You need three numbers from your own records:

• What you pay per lead (or per month, divided by leads received).
• Out of every ten leads, how many you get to quote.
• Out of every ten quotes, how many you win.

Here are two made-up suppliers for a loft boarding firm. The numbers are for illustration only — plug in your own.

The "cheap" leads cost two-thirds more per job, and ate twice the phone time. That's the pattern to look out for. Price per lead is the number suppliers advertise because it's the one that makes them look good.

Shared vs exclusive vs your own adverts

Seven questions to ask any lead supplier

A decent supplier will answer these in a few minutes. Vague answers tell you plenty.

1. 1How many other installers receive the same enquiry? Is that capped?
2. 2What exactly do you mean by "exclusive"? Could this lead be resold or re-marketed later?
3. 3Whose name and brand does the homeowner see before they enquire?
4. 4Where do the leads come from — which platforms and adverts?
5. 5Can I choose the exact job type and postcodes, and turn areas off?
6. 6What's your policy on bad leads — wrong numbers, wrong service, out of area? How do I claim credit?
7. 7Is there a minimum term or notice period?

How to test a supplier properly

• Give it long enough for a fair sample — at least 20 to 30 leads, not five.
• Log every lead in a simple spreadsheet: date, contacted (yes/no), quoted (yes/no), won (yes/no), job value.
• Ring within five minutes wherever you can. With shared leads especially, speed decides a lot.
• Work out cost per booked job at the end, and compare it with what you can afford to pay to win a job.
• Claim credit for bad leads every time. It's in the contract for a reason.

When buying leads makes sense

• You need work in the next fortnight and have nothing else running.
• You have someone who can ring every lead within minutes, all day.
• You're a newer firm without many photos or reviews yet.
• You want to fill occasional gaps in the diary, not build your main pipeline on it.

When to generate your own instead

If you install something visual and worth a few hundred pounds or more, and you want steady work of one type in one area, running adverts in your own name usually wins over time. The homeowner chose you before they picked up the phone, nobody else is ringing them, and the ad account keeps learning what works in your area.

That's the model Local Jobs is built on. We don't sell leads. We build a page for the job you want, run Facebook and Instagram adverts from your own Meta account, and the enquiries come straight to you. See how Local Jobs works, or read how much to spend on Facebook ads if you want to run the numbers yourself.

Common questions

How much do home improvement leads cost in the UK?

It varies widely by trade, area and whether leads are shared or exclusive. Rather than chasing an average, work out your own cost per booked job over a fair test.

Are exclusive leads worth it?

Often, yes, because nobody's racing you to the phone. But check exactly what the supplier means by "exclusive" before you sign up.

What's the difference between a lead and an enquiry from my own adverts?

A bought lead is someone who responded to the lead company's advert. An enquiry from your own advert is someone who saw your work, your name and your area, and chose to contact you.

How quickly should I contact a lead?

As fast as you possibly can — ideally within minutes. With shared leads, the first firm to get through often gets the job.