THE SHORT ANSWER
A lead marketplace resells each enquiry to three to five providers, which is why it is cheap per unit: roughly EUR 25 to EUR 70 for home-improvement work. An exclusive supplier sells the same enquiry once, at roughly EUR 60 to EUR 150. Because exclusive leads close about three times better, the cost per acquired customer usually lands lower on exclusive even though the sticker price is higher.
What you are buying in each case
Marketplace: access to a shared pool. Your competitive advantage is response speed measured in seconds, because everyone received the same enquiry at the same moment.
Exclusive supplier: a single-buyer enquiry matched to your service area and job type. Your competitive advantage is your quote and your reputation, which is a more durable thing to compete on.
The distinction is not about quality. Marketplace leads are often well qualified. It is about how many companies are calling the same person.
Run the arithmetic before choosing
Take 100 leads through each model at a realistic close rate. On a marketplace, 100 leads at EUR 45 costs EUR 4,500; at a 4 percent close rate that is four customers, so EUR 1,125 per customer. On exclusive, 100 leads at EUR 95 costs EUR 9,500; at a 12 percent close rate that is twelve customers, so EUR 792 per customer.
Those close rates are the numbers to challenge with your own data. If your marketplace close rate is genuinely above 8 percent, the marketplace wins and you should buy more of it. Most companies discover theirs is closer to 3 or 4 percent once they measure it properly rather than estimating.
When a marketplace is the right answer
Three situations. You have a dedicated person who answers within sixty seconds during working hours. You have spare capacity you would rather fill at thin margin than leave idle. Or you are entering a new service area and want cheap volume to learn what the demand actually looks like before committing to exclusive pricing there.
When exclusivity is worth the premium
When your close rate is your asset. If you quote well, have strong reviews and cannot answer the phone in sixty seconds, exclusivity is what lets those strengths matter. It also removes the price-anchoring problem: on a shared lead the homeowner has three quotes to compare within days, which pushes every provider towards the bottom of the range.
The hybrid most established businesses land on
Exclusive leads for the job types with the highest project value, where one extra win pays for a month of leads. Marketplace or shared leads for smaller jobs and for filling gaps in the schedule. Track cost per acquired customer separately for each stream, because a blended average hides which one is actually working.
How Flock Leads prices this
Flock Leads is an exclusive supplier, not a marketplace: every lead goes to one business and is never resold.
Starter - 10 leads for EUR 750, which is EUR 75 per lead
Growth - 25 leads for EUR 1,750, which is EUR 70 per lead
Scale - 45 leads for EUR 2,925, which is EUR 65 per lead
Pro - 70 leads for EUR 4,340, which is EUR 62 per lead
Max - 90 leads for EUR 5,400, which is EUR 60 per lead
No retainer, no contract term, and no lead sent to a second business. Unused volume rolls over under the Flock Lead Promise.
Related answers
Frequently asked questions
Are marketplace leads lower quality than exclusive leads?
Not necessarily. The enquiry itself can be equally well qualified. The difference is that three to five companies received it, so your close rate on the same enquiry is structurally lower.
How many companies get a shared lead?
Typically three to five. Some marketplaces sell to more during high-demand periods. Ask for the contractual maximum in writing, not the average.
Which model gives a lower cost per customer?
Usually exclusive, because the roughly 3x close-rate advantage more than offsets the roughly 2x price premium. Verify with your own close rates.
Can I use both at the same time?
Yes, and most established businesses do. Keep the reporting separate so you can see which stream produces customers rather than just enquiries.
Does a marketplace lead damage my reputation?
It can, indirectly. If a homeowner receives five calls in an hour they often disengage entirely, and the companies that called all absorb that irritation.
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