Shared internet leads look cheaper: $10–$45 per lead against a higher exclusive sticker. But shared leads reach 3–4 competing agents within minutes and close at 4–8%, which puts their true cost at $200–$500 per closed policy. Exclusive scored leads close in the 8–15% band with no competition on the record. The cheaper lead is usually the more expensive one.
A consumer fills out a quote form on a comparison site. That form is sold, within seconds, to several agents at once, each paying full price. The first dialer gets a conversation; the fourth gets someone who has already told three strangers to stop calling. Then the quiet part: in territories where you close well, per-lead prices tend to ratchet upward. Success is billed back to you.
Honestly: when you need volume today and have staff to dial within seconds of delivery, shared leads produce conversations no cold channel matches for immediacy. Agencies with speed-to-lead automation and thick skin make them work. If that’s not your shop, the funnel math above is your answer.
One buyer per lead removes the footrace, the hostile fourth call, and the price ratchet. Add the DRIVE Score and the dial order itself changes: you call homeowners predicted to shop soon, with an opener matched to their mindset, instead of racing a stopwatch to a stranger. Different product, different month. Walk it out on The Math, or see what an exclusive scored lead carries.
Typically up to 3–4, depending on the marketplace, and consumers report receiving 15–40 calls within 72 hours of one form fill. That call storm is what your fourth-position dial walks into.
Because by the time you dial, several competitors already have. Contact rates on shared leads run 35–50% and fall with every minute of delay. It’s a structural problem; no script fixes the order you dialed in.
A 15-minute call runs your exact territory, pricing included.