THE SHORT ANSWER
An exclusive lead is a qualified enquiry sold to exactly one business. A shared lead is the same enquiry sold to three to five competitors simultaneously. Exclusive leads typically cost two times more per unit (EUR 60 to EUR 150 versus EUR 25 to EUR 70) but convert about three times better, so the cost per acquired customer is usually lower on exclusive.
The three categories, precisely defined
Raw lead: a form fill or click with no verification. Nobody checked whether the person owns the property, is in your area, or wants the job you sell. Cheapest per unit, highest waste.
Shared lead: a verified enquiry resold to three to five providers. You are competing on response speed from the second it lands.
Exclusive lead: a verified enquiry matched to your service area and job type, sent to you and nobody else. You are competing only against whoever the homeowner finds independently.
Why the close rate diverges so sharply
On a shared lead, the homeowner receives three to five calls within an hour. Whoever calls first wins a disproportionate share, because the first quote frames every quote after it. Typical close rates land at one in eight to one in twelve.
On an exclusive lead, you are the only inbound call. Close rates of one in three to one in six are normal for home-improvement trades. That single difference is what makes the higher unit price cheaper in practice.
The arithmetic that settles it
Take a EUR 45 shared lead at a one-in-ten close rate: EUR 450 per customer. Take a EUR 110 exclusive lead at a one-in-four close rate: EUR 440 per customer. Nearly identical on paper.
The difference is everything the paper ignores. The shared route consumed ten conversations instead of four, meaning roughly two and a half times the sales hours for the same revenue, plus the reputational cost of losing six quotes in your own postcode. Sales capacity, not media budget, is the real constraint for most installers, which is why exclusivity wins once you price your own time.
When shared leads are genuinely the right call
If you have a dedicated person who answers inside sixty seconds during business hours, shared leads can outperform on pure cost. Speed-to-lead is the only variable that reliably beats exclusivity. If your team returns calls at the end of the day, shared leads are a subsidy to your fastest competitor.
How Flock Leads prices this
Flock sells exclusive leads in fixed packages, so the unit price is known before you commit:
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
Is an exclusive lead guaranteed to become a customer?
No. Exclusivity removes competing quotes from the same source, not the homeowner's right to shop around or postpone. Expect one in three to one in six to close.
How can I verify a lead is really exclusive?
Ask for it in writing in the contract, and ask what the replacement policy is if the homeowner reports being contacted by another supplier from the same source. A supplier who will not put exclusivity in writing is selling shared leads with a premium label.
Are exclusive leads always more expensive?
Per unit, yes, usually about two times. Per acquired customer, usually not, once you account for close rate and the sales hours consumed.
What does Flock sell?
Exclusive only. Every lead Flock delivers goes to one business, matched to the postcodes and job types that business selected.
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