Should You Join a Lead Generation Service?
Paying for introductions can fill quiet weeks — or burn cash on enquiries that never become jobs. Decide whether a service is worth it for your margins, diary, and response habits, not whether “lead generation” sounds good in the abstract.
How lead generation services typically work
Most platforms collect customer enquiries, then pass them to one or more providers in a category and area. You usually meet one of two commercial models:
- Pay-per-lead: you pay when an enquiry is sent to you.
- Subscription: you pay a recurring fee for access to a stream of enquiries, sometimes with caps or tiers.
Some products mix both. Either way, you are buying the chance to quote — not a guaranteed booked job.
Shared leads vs exclusive leads
Shared leads go to several providers at once. Speed and clarity matter; if you reply late or send a vague quote, someone else wins.
Exclusive leads go only to you. They usually cost more per introduction, so you need a realistic close rate and enough diary space to follow up properly.
Confirm which model you are buying before you sign. “Lead” can mean very different things on different platforms.
What to check before you pay
Treat signup like a supplier review:
- Location relevance — enquiries should fall inside the areas you actually cover.
- Category relevance — briefs should match the work you want, not adjacent jobs you routinely decline.
- Lead quality — prefer customers ready to book over browsers with no budget or access details.
- Exclusivity — know whether the lead is shared or exclusive, and how many others see it.
- Response expectations — some platforms favour providers who reply within minutes.
- Cancellation terms — check whether you can pause or leave without a long lock-in.
- Minimum commitments — watch for deposits, prepaid packs, or notice periods.
- Refunds or credits — clarify handling for duplicates, wrong areas, or unreachable customers.
If those points stay vague in the sales chat, expect vagueness after you pay.
Cost per acquired customer (without guessing market rates)
You do not need a public rate card to judge value. Use your own numbers.
Labelled example of the method (not a claim about typical UK prices):
1. Note what you pay per lead or per month. 2. Track how many leads become paying jobs (conversion rate). 3. Effective acquisition cost ≈ lead cost ÷ conversion rate (for subscriptions, use total spend in the period ÷ jobs won from that source).
Then compare that acquisition cost with the job value and your true margin after materials and labour. A cheap lead that rarely converts can cost more than a dearer lead you close reliably.
Keep a simple log: date, source, response time, outcome, job value. Review it monthly. Without that, you are guessing.
When a service may make sense — and when it may not
It may make sense when:
- You have spare capacity and a reliable way to reply quickly.
- Referral work is thin (new area, quiet season, or a narrow specialism).
- You have tested response and close rates on a short trial.
It may not make sense when:
- Your diary is already full with better-margin work.
- You cannot reply during the hours enquiries arrive.
- The briefs are routinely wrong-area or wrong-trade.
- The contract blocks exit while quality stays poor.
Warning signs
Walk away — or leave — if you see:
- Pressure to prepay large packs before you have seen real leads.
- No clear exclusivity or geography rules.
- Sales claims about “guaranteed income” without explaining conversion.
- Poor credit handling for junk or duplicate enquiries.
- Rankings that punish you for declining bad-fit jobs you should not take.
Checklist before you join
Confirm in writing:
- Whether leads are shared or exclusive.
- How category and postcode filters are set.
- The expected response window.
- How cancellations, pauses, and credits work.
- Whether you can see anonymised example briefs for your trade and area.
- How you will judge success after 30 days (jobs won, not leads received).
A lead generation service is a marketing channel, not a substitute for doing good local work. Use it only when the introductions are relevant, the maths works on your conversion rates, and you can leave if they do not.
If you prefer enquiries matched to your trade and area without chasing every marketplace listing, ASKU is one option to compare on the same checklist above.