It’s a fact with ANY company you get online leads from: some leads you just can’t contact or write.
Online prospects don’t submit the right information 100% of the time. They mistype their phone number. They enter bogus info on purpose. Or they forget to enter in a condition that makes them uninsurable.
Do you have to pay for those?
Nope. At least, you shouldn’t have to. Some companies refuse to acknowledge that bogus leads happen, and have zero intention of replacing them.
Others make it a headache to get the return credit you deserve. When you try to get your money back, no one answers the phone, returns your call or replies to your email – until you just give up.
Don’t get burned by a company that holds your money hostage – refusing to credit you for their invalid leads and then pulling a disappearing act.
Your lead company is only as good as their return policy
Anyone can promise quality leads, but the test is if they make good on their word. Before you partner with a company, you need to know you won’t eat the cost of invalid leads.
Ask these questions to find out how they handle returns:
- Do they give you a generous window to return leads by?
This is a BIG one. Any agent knows you can’t always get a lead on the phone the first time you call. Some companies only give you a day or two to return a lead. That’s not always enough time to figure out if a lead’s truly unreachable or uninsurable, and then you’re stuck paying for it.
- Are returns monitored individually by a real person?
Your lead returns should be verified by a real person, not randomly rejected by a computerized system.
- How do they define an “invalid lead”?
Not all companies have the same definition. Some won’t issue credit if just one piece of information is correct. That means if you’ve got a good email address but a bad phone number, you can’t return it. Savvy marketers need complete information – including phone, email address and mailing address – so they can plug each lead into all their ongoing campaigns.
- How easy is it to return a lead?
You’re too busy to hop on the phone and haggle for credit over every single bad lead. Your company should give you a convenient online system that lets you return bad leads from your desk, 24/7.
- How are replacement credits issued?
Make sure you have a clear understanding of how your account is credited.
Avoid getting stuck with a pile of worthless leads you can’t work, and can’t get credit on. Before you make your next lead buy, get the details on your company’s return policy.
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Jeremiah Desmarais , ProspectZone. ProspectZone is a leading provider of internet leads to the mortgage and insurance industries, and the creators of Smart Leads TM. Reach him at jdesmarais@prospectzone.com or 1-877-561-9663 .
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