Why do contractors ask the wrong questions?
In short
Most contractors ask price per lead and monthly volume — the two questions a provider is best rehearsed to answer and the two that matter least. The questions that predict fit are about definitions and process: what is delivered, what was confirmed first, who else receives it, and what happens when something goes wrong.
Most contractors evaluating a lead provider ask two questions: how much per lead, and how many can I get. Those are the questions the provider is best prepared to answer and the ones that matter least. Price per lead means nothing without knowing what a lead is, and volume means nothing if the leads are shared, unqualified, or outside your trade.
The questions that predict whether a provider will work for you are about definitions and process: what exactly is delivered, what was confirmed before delivery, who else received it, and what happens when something goes wrong. Below are twelve, grouped by what they test. Ask them in order, write down the answers, and score the provider before you sign anything.
Is the lead really exclusive? (questions 1–2)
In short
Two questions settle exclusivity: whether every lead is delivered to you alone or the same homeowner is sold to other contractors, and whether exclusivity is written into the agreement — including what happens to a lead you pass on. A verbal assurance without a written term is a race with better packaging.
Exclusivity determines whether you are buying a conversation or entering a race.
- 1. Is every lead delivered to me alone, or is the same homeowner sold to other contractors? If shared, to how many?
- 2. Is exclusivity written into the agreement, and what happens to a lead I pass on — is it resold?
Qualification (questions 3–5)
In short
Three questions test qualification: whether a real person speaks with the homeowner before delivery, what specifically is confirmed on that call — project, scope, timeline, intent to hire, contact details — and whether calls are recorded with notes you can see. A provider vague on any of the three is filtering, not qualifying.
“Qualified” is the most abused word in lead generation. These questions find out what it means to this provider.
- 3. Does a real person speak with the homeowner before delivery, or is qualification done by a form, a dialer, or an automated voice?
- 4. What specifically is confirmed on that call — project, scope, timeline, intent to hire, contact details?
- 5. Are calls recorded, and can I see the notes (or hear a sample call) so I know what the conversation actually covered?
Is the project real? (question 6)
In short
One question separates a lead from a name: how does the provider verify the project is real — a specific job at a specific property the homeowner controls, not a curiosity, a price check, or a bad form-fill? Most contractors skip it, and it is the one most worth asking.
This is the question most contractors skip, and it is the one that separates a lead from a name.
- 6. How do you verify the project is real — that it is a specific job at a specific property the homeowner controls, and not a curiosity, a price check, or a bad form-fill?
Delivery (questions 7–8)
In short
Two questions cover delivery: what form the lead arrives in — a record to call back, a live transfer to your line, or a pre-set appointment on your calendar — and whether you control the details: transfer hours, an introduction by company name, and appointment times confirmed with a homeowner who knows who is coming.
How a lead arrives determines what your team has to do with it.
- 7. In what form does a lead reach me — a record I have to call back, a live transfer to my line, or a pre-set appointment on my calendar? Can I choose?
- 8. For transfers: can I set the hours I receive them, and is the homeowner introduced to my company before the call connects? For appointments: is the time confirmed with the homeowner, and does the homeowner know who is coming?
What exactly are you billed for? (questions 9–11)
In short
Three questions cover money: what you are billed for — every delivered lead, or only completed transfers and set appointments; how a mismatched lead is credited, and whether that process is written down; and what the commitment is. A weekly agreement you can cancel beats a prepaid block or a long-term contract.
The terms are where the risk lives. Get these in writing.
- 9. What exactly am I billed for — every lead delivered, or only completed transfers and set appointments?
- 10. What happens when a lead does not match what we agreed — wrong trade, wrong area, no intent — and how are credits handled? Is the process written down?
- 11. What is the commitment — a prepaid block, a monthly minimum, a long-term contract, or a weekly agreement I can cancel? How often am I invoiced?
Can the provider really deliver in your market? (question 12)
In short
One question tests honesty: what can the provider deliver in your trade and your area right now — and what can they not? A provider willing to tell you your market is thin is describing their supply; one claiming every market in every trade is describing their sales map.
A provider who claims to cover every market in every trade is telling you about their sales map, not their supply.
- 12. What can you actually deliver in my trade, in my area, right now — and what can you not? Will you tell me if my market is thin?
The one-page scorecard
In short
Score each of the twelve answers 0–2: zero for vague or evasive, one for clear but only partly what you want, two for clear, in writing, and what you want. Under 16 of 24, hold your money until the low scores improve. A provider that will not answer the recording, verification, or credit questions at all should not get it.
Score each question from 0 to 2: 0 for a vague or evasive answer, 1 for a clear answer that is only partly what you want, 2 for a clear answer in writing that is what you want. A provider scoring under 16 out of 24 should not get your money until the low-scoring answers improve. A provider that will not answer question 5, 6, or 10 at all should not get your money.
Two patterns are worth naming. A provider that is strong on exclusivity and delivery but weak on qualification is selling you a race with better packaging. A provider that is strong on qualification but weak on billing terms is selling you a good product on terms you will regret. The scorecard is designed to make both patterns visible on one page.
Finally: ask these questions of every provider, including us. The point of the scorecard is not to steer you to a particular answer; it is to make sure you know what you are buying before you buy it.