Shared vs exclusive leads calculator for contractors
Shared vs exclusive leads is a question of cost per booked job, not price per lead. A shared lead goes to several companies, and an exclusive lead goes to you alone. Compare both with the calculator below, as we work to put your company on page one of Google in all 50 states and across Canada.
- Lead arrives
- Who calls
- Who wins
Why price per lead hides the real cost of shared vs exclusive leads
A cheap lead that never becomes a job is the most expensive lead you can buy. Three things sit behind that.
It does not tell you what a job costs. You pay for every lead, but you only earn from the ones that close, so the close rate decides what each job really costs you.
Shared leads are sold to more than one company. The customer gets several calls and often hires whoever answers first or quotes lowest. That pressure pushes close rates down and quotes lower, which cuts the profit on the jobs you do win.
Exclusive leads go to one company in your trade and market. You are the only voice the customer hears, so you can take time to explain, quote fairly and keep your margin.
The sticker price misleads
A low price per lead feels like a deal. Divide your spend by booked jobs and the picture often changes.
Shared means a crowd
When several companies call one customer, the lead becomes a race, and the winner is often the lowest quote.
Margin gets squeezed
A job won in a price war pays less. Exclusive leads protect the margin that makes a job worth taking.
Do not take our word for it. Run your own numbers.
Shared vs exclusive leads calculator: compare your real cost per job
Shared leads often look cheaper because the price per lead is lower. Enter what you pay and how often each type closes, and see the cost per booked job, your profit and your return on lead spend.
Enter your numbers
Your results
–
| Measure | Shared | Exclusive |
|---|---|---|
| – | – | |
| Booked jobs | – | – |
| Cost per booked job | – | – |
| Revenue | – | – |
| – | – | |
| – | – | |
| Return on lead spend | – | – |
- –
- –
Close rate is the share of leads that become booked jobs. Example math, not a promise of results.
That is your answer. Here is the math behind it.
How the shared vs exclusive leads math works
The calculator uses five steps. Each one is plain arithmetic you can check on your own.
Start with the number of leads and the close rate. Leads times close rate gives the jobs you win.
Then bring in your job value and margin.
The calculator also finds the break-even point: the close rate shared leads would need to match exclusive, and the most you could pay per exclusive lead and still match shared.
Leads in, jobs out
Leads times close rate shows how many jobs each lead type books.
Cost per booked job
This is the number to compare.
Profit before lead cost
Revenue from booked jobs times your profit margin.
Profit after lead cost
What is left once the lead bill is paid.
Return on lead spend
Break-even points
The close rate or price at which shared and exclusive cost the same per job.
You know the math. Now, where do the two kinds of lead come from?
Where shared leads and exclusive leads come from
The source of a lead decides whether it is shared or exclusive. Three sources cover most of what contractors buy.
Lead marketplaces
Marketplaces sell the same customer request to several companies, so every lead is shared by design.
Your own Google profile
Customers who find your profile and call you reach you alone. Those leads are exclusive because they chose you.
Your own search results
Customers who find your website in free results call you directly. Nobody else receives that lead.
Now the two side by side.
Shared vs exclusive leads side by side
A check mark means the item is part of that lead type. Shared leads win on the sticker price. Exclusive leads win on nearly everything that decides a job.
| What you get | Shared leads | Exclusive leads |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| A lower sticker price per lead | Included | Not included– |
| Competition | ||
| Your company is the only one called | Not included– | Included |
| No race to call first | Not included– | Included |
| No pressure to cut your quote | Not included– | Included |
| Control | ||
| Your brand is the only one the customer hears | Not included– | Included |
| Calls tracked back to the source | Not included– | Included |
| Credits for spam, wrong numbers, repeats and out-of-area calls | Not included– | Included |
The table shows the gap. Here is what it looks like for one customer.
One customer, two paths: a shared vs exclusive leads storyboard
Here are the same 50 leads at three points. The jobs you earn depend on how many companies the customer hears from.
Cheap leads, costly jobs
Jobs come out expensive and thin on profit.
Put your own numbers in
Enter your prices, close rates, job value and margin. The calculator shows where shared and exclusive leads really stand.
Higher price, lower cost per job
More leads close, and each job costs less.
That is the story in miniature. Here is who runs these numbers.
Who should compare shared vs exclusive leads
Anyone buying leads should know their cost per job. Pick the one that sounds like you.
Buying leads from a marketplace
You pay for each lead and feel like you are always racing someone. Check what a booked job really costs.
Comparing lead vendors
You have quotes from several companies. Put each price and close rate through the calculator before you sign.
Starting out
You are choosing your first lead source. Know the cost per job before you commit.
A crew that wants steady work
You need enough jobs to keep every truck busy without cutting your price.
Several locations
Each location buys leads. Compare shared and exclusive for each market.
A trade with fierce competition
Roofing, HVAC, plumbing and similar trades see heavy lead sharing. Exclusive leads protect your quotes.
However you got here, you searched in your own words. Here is where each search leads.
Ways to compare shared vs exclusive leads for your business
Contractors ask this question in many forms. Here is where each one leads.
Cost per booked job
Divide what you spend by jobs won. It is the one number that compares any two lead sources fairly.
Cost Per Lead CalculatorShared lead platforms
See how marketplaces such as Thumbtack and Angi sell the same request to several companies.
Thumbtack alternativeExclusive leads from your own search results
Customers who find you in free results are yours alone. We build that visibility for you.
SEO for contractorsExclusive leads from ads
Ads can deliver exclusive calls when they send customers straight to you.
Google Ads managementExclusive leads from Local Services Ads
Local Services Ads put your Google Verified listing above the results, and calls go to you.
Local Services AdsExclusive leads for a new business
A new company can start with exclusive leads and a profile built to win them.
New business marketingGetting more from past customers
Past customers are leads that are already yours. Reactivation brings them back.
Lead reactivationReady to run yours for real? Here is what to gather, and what we do with it.
What to bring to the shared vs exclusive leads calculator, and what we handle
The calculator is only as good as the numbers you enter. Here is what to gather, and what we do with it.
You bring
- What you pay per lead
- How many of those leads become booked jobs
- Your average revenue per job
- Your profit margin on a typical job
We handle
- Checking your numbers on a call
- Matching exclusive leads to your market
- Tracking every call so you see your real close rate
- Credits for spam, wrong numbers, repeats and out-of-area calls
Next, a look at how it can play out.
What exclusive leads look like in practice
Page One Calls has delivered more than 2M leads to service businesses across the US and Canada. Here is an example of where 50 exclusive leads can end up.
Not every exclusive lead becomes a job, and that is normal. Some customers are still deciding and some are not a fit. The difference is that with an exclusive lead, every one of them is yours to follow up.
The chart shows an example outcome for 50 exclusive leads at the calculator's starting close rate. Your reports show the real mix for your business.
Example mix, not a promise of results.
I was buying cheap leads and winning almost none of them. I ran my own numbers in the calculator and saw I was paying more per job than I thought. Now every call is mine to win or lose.
The best part is nobody undercutting me on the same call. I quote what the job is worth and the customer decides.
I pay more per lead and less per job. The calculator showed it before I signed up and my reports have matched it since.
Wherever you work, the same math applies. Here is where we cover.
Exclusive leads in every state and across Canada
We provide exclusive leads for contractors in all 50 states and across Canada, and work to put your company on page one of Google in your market.
Exclusive leads in the Northeast
Metros include New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore.
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
Exclusive leads in the Southeast
Metros include Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Tampa.
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Exclusive leads in the Midwest
Metros include Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Columbus, Kansas City.
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
Exclusive leads in the Southwest
Metros include Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, San Antonio.
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- Texas
Exclusive leads in the West
Metros include Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Portland, Las Vegas.
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Montana
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Utah
- Washington
- Wyoming
Exclusive leads in Canada
We serve contractors in every Canadian province. Metros include Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal.
- Ontario
- Quebec
- British Columbia
- Alberta
- Manitoba
- Saskatchewan
- Nova Scotia
- New Brunswick
Nationwide coverage needs a team you can trust. Meet it.
Who provides your exclusive leads
Page One Calls helps service businesses get found on Google and turn searches into booked jobs.
We provide exclusive leads for contractors in all 50 states and across Canada, one company per trade and market. We pair them with your website, reviews and ads, because they all feed your ranking.
(877) 340-5052Free to ask. We will answer your questions.
What to look for in exclusive leads
Choosing between shared and exclusive leads gets easier when you know what a good exclusive lead looks like. These are the signs.
Only you receive it
The same customer is not sent to other companies in your trade.
The call is tracked
You see the call, the source and what became a job.
Inside your service area
The customer is in the places you work.
Job details included
You know the job and the address before you call.
Real people
Spam, wrong numbers and repeats are credited.
Reports you can read
A plain view of what came in and what you won.
Now see the mistakes to avoid.
Shared vs exclusive leads mistakes to avoid
Comparing leads is easy to get wrong. These mistakes lead to the wrong choice.
Looking only at the lead
Judge the whole path from call to booked job.
Ignoring who else gets the lead
If four others call the same customer, you compete on speed and price.
Skipping the tracking
Without tracking you cannot compare the sources honestly.
Trusting claims without proof
Ask to see calls and reports.
Still weighing it? These answers cover what people ask most.
Shared vs exclusive leads questions
More are on the full FAQ page.
What is the difference between shared and exclusive leads?
What is a good close rate?
What close rates should I enter if I do not know mine?
Why do shared leads close less often?
Can shared leads ever be the better deal?
Which lead sources are exclusive?
Do you guarantee my close rate?
How do you bill exclusive leads?
Is there a long-term contract?
Start your exclusive leads
Tell us your trade and where you work. We will check that your market is open, then call to go through your numbers with you.
- No long-term contract
- Leads that are yours alone
- Support that grows with you
Got it!
Thanks! We will call you about your market.