Switching lead vendors: what to compare first.
Before you switch lead vendors, take a recent batch your team has followed up and record who you reached, who fit your criteria and who became a customer. Ask the next supplier to answer the same six questions in writing. Then test them with a capped pilot before you move more of your budget.
Start with the leads your team received.
Take a recent batch you have had time to follow up. Record which people you reached, which matched your criteria and which became customers. Include the time between delivery and your first attempt to contact them.
Separate a poor fit from an unanswered call. Your next supplier needs to understand the problem you want to solve, and your team needs a fair way to judge the change.
Use aggregate results when you discuss the batch. You do not need to send prospect names, phone numbers or case details to build your brief.
| Review | Your current records | Your next proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Which delivered leads failed your agreed criteria? | The acceptance questions, exclusions and information required before delivery. |
| Contact | How often did your team reach the person, and how soon did it try? | Delivery hours, the handover method and who follows up when a call is missed. |
| Intent | What did the person ask for, in their own words? | Their stated need, timing and the next conversation they agreed to. |
| Exclusivity | Did the supplier sell the same lead to another buyer? | A written definition of exclusivity and how the supplier handles duplicates. |
| Billing | Which events appeared on the invoice, and which did you dispute? | The billable event, price, evidence and credit process. |
| Outcome | Which leads became signed cases, issued policies or funded deals? | The outcome stages your team will record and the date you will review them. |
Use the same questions for both suppliers.
Fit
- Your current records
- Which delivered leads failed your agreed criteria?
- Your next proposal
- The acceptance questions, exclusions and information required before delivery.
Contact
- Your current records
- How often did your team reach the person, and how soon did it try?
- Your next proposal
- Delivery hours, the handover method and who follows up when a call is missed.
Intent
- Your current records
- What did the person ask for, in their own words?
- Your next proposal
- Their stated need, timing and the next conversation they agreed to.
Exclusivity
- Your current records
- Did the supplier sell the same lead to another buyer?
- Your next proposal
- A written definition of exclusivity and how the supplier handles duplicates.
Billing
- Your current records
- Which events appeared on the invoice, and which did you dispute?
- Your next proposal
- The billable event, price, evidence and credit process.
Outcome
- Your current records
- Which leads became signed cases, issued policies or funded deals?
- Your next proposal
- The outcome stages your team will record and the date you will review them.
How we answer these: the five-check standard and the supplier spec.
Test the change within a limit you approve.
You can propose a limited pilot before moving more of your buying budget. Agree the market, criteria and spend or volume cap, then give your team enough time to follow up before reviewing the results.
Keep your outcome definitions consistent. If one supplier counts delivered records and another counts completed conversations, ask them to report the same stages before you compare costs.
Fails a check? Not sent. Not billed. On an OptiMAX pilot, if one slips through, flag it within 72 hours and we replace it. A Florida law firm signed 46 cases in one month with us (client result supplied by Mike Oddoye; signed cases are client engagements, not case wins or settlements).
See what belongs in the pilot proposalDecide what would justify a change.
Choose the measures before launch.
Agree the fit criteria, contact measure and customer outcome you will use. Keep cost per lead separate from cost per customer.
Review the same stage of follow-up.
Give both batches a comparable opportunity to progress. Record missing information instead of treating an unfinished sale as a lost customer.
Continue, revise or stop.
Review the evidence with Mike. Decide whether to increase the scope, change the questions or end the test within the terms you agreed.
Bring these to the conversation.
Do we need to move all our buying at once?
No. Start with a capped pilot. Agree the cap, start conditions and how to pause in writing before you change your buying.
Our current supplier is cheap. What should we compare?
Compare cost per customer. A low price per lead does not tell you how many customers your team signed. The buyer workbench runs your own numbers; its results are not performance forecasts.
We need a different market or different states. Can you supply them?
Tell us the market, states and criteria. We reply within one business day with what we can supply. A brief does not reserve supply or confirm pricing.
Tell us what needs to improve.
Describe the prospects you want, the problems with your current supply and the outcomes your team can measure.