How does your provider originate leads?

There are many ways to acquire someone's name and phone number. Make sure you know how your lead provider does it. Make sure that understanding is weaved into your sales scripts. It will add credibility to your initial contact.

How does your provider fill their organic lead generation gaps?

Most fill these highly volatile gaps in generation with affiliate generated leads. While affiliate leads can be okay, you need to understand what you are buying and ensure you are paying affiliate prices. Paying $65 for an affiliate-generated lead created with a "win a free iPod" spam email is not an effective use of your marketing dollars.

Most lead generators do fill with affiliates, and that is okay. So, just make sure you know when they do it, verify they quality control their affiliates, and that you are paying affiliate prices when they do fill.

How big a fish is your provider in the media-buying pond?

This is not always the best indicator of quality, but it can show you who is probably buying the perceived premium impressions on the Web. In addition, monitoring your lead provider's buying levels and changes can alert you to dramatic changes, which you can assess.

Be wary when a provider makes wild swings in their spending patterns. This is when affiliate generated leads kick in and you will need to make dramatic revisions to your sales process.

What advertising placements and sponsored links is the provider buying?

What are they buying? This is important to see if they are focusing where you are. If you are a super-prime home equity shop and they are buying "no credit, no problem" sponsored links then this is probably the wrong provider for you.

Sample their landing pages

Make sure you look at their landing pages. It is important for you and your sales force to know what the customer is experiencing. What is disclosed to the customer and are they opting in?

Use your provider(s) as consultants

These guys see sales teams and methodologies all over the nation. Ask them what is and is not working in converting their specific leads. This relationship is critical to your success and frankly theirs.

Learn to generate your own leads

This is very important. It will make you a better buyer. It also allows you to be more specific in targeting and tuning your unique messages.

Test. Test. Test.

Always be trying new lead providers and sales processes. You should always be A/B testing both lead providers and sales processes. Lead providers are always attempting to optimize their marketing effectiveness and you should be doing the same with your buying and selling.

Never buy leads without a way to manage them

I know, I said eight, but this is important! Even modest buying of a few leads per day creates a very large complex pipeline in a matter of days. An effective lead management system will increase sales velocity, improve conversion rate, and enhance customer experience.

Download your lead buying checklist.

Top Downloaded Whitepapers guaranteed to tune up your Internet lead buying and sales.

• What are Internet Leads and Why Buy?
• Internet Originations Overview
• Internet Lead Sales Plan
• Tips on Buying Leads
• How to Manage Leads
• Increasing Sales Production
• Building a Sales Team

More questions? Give one of our Lead Experts a call at 866.667.5253