Guide · Exclusive vs shared HVAC leads
Exclusive vs shared
HVAC leads.
A shared HVAC lead goes to several contractors at once. An exclusive HVAC lead goes to one. That single difference changes what you pay for, how fast you have to move and how often you win the job. This guide explains both, plainly.
The difference
Shared and exclusive HVAC leads, side by side
Shared leads. A homeowner fills in a form on a platform such as Angi or Thumbtack, and the platform sells that same form fill to three to five contractors. Each one pays for it, and whoever calls first usually wins the job. The rest of them paid for a race they lost.
Exclusive leads. The homeowner is sold to one contractor only. There is no race, because nobody else has the same inquiry. How exclusive it really is depends on who is selling it, so ask whether the lead is ever resold and how the territory is defined.
Qualified or not. Exclusive and qualified are different things. An exclusive lead can still be a bare form fill. A qualified lead has been checked on the job, the budget and the area before you hear about it. Ask for both.
How you are charged. Shared leads are usually priced per lead. Exclusive offers vary: per lead, per appointment or a monthly retainer. Pay-per-appointment means you are charged when a qualified homeowner is booked onto your calendar, not for every form fill.
Where Vance Digital fits. Territories are exclusive, one contractor per trade per market. We run the ads, qualify every homeowner, respond in under five minutes and book the estimate on your calendar. When we book a homeowner, that appointment is yours and is never resold. You pay per qualified appointment, with no retainer and no contract.
Which one
Which is right for your HVAC business
Shared leads can make sense if you can call back within minutes, every time, and you are comfortable losing some of the races you pay for. They are the lowest barrier to start.
Exclusive, qualified appointments suit an HVAC business that would rather spend its time on estimates and installs than on racing competitors to the phone. The trade-off is that exclusive territories are limited, so a market can already be taken.
Whichever you choose, compare the same three things: whether the leads are exclusive or shared, whether the homeowner is qualified first, and how you are charged.
See how our HVAC lead generation works: exclusive, pre-qualified appointments booked on your calendar.
Related guides: How to get HVAC leads, How to get painting leads, How to get remodeling leads, HVAC lead generation companies compared.
Exclusive vs shared HVAC leads FAQ
Straight answers to what contractors ask before they hire anyone.
A shared lead is sold to several contractors at once, commonly three to five on lead platforms, and the job tends to go to whoever calls first. An exclusive lead goes to one contractor only. Our territories are exclusive, one contractor per trade per market, so when we book a homeowner that appointment is yours and is never resold.
See if your HVAC market is open.
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