It's the single biggest difference between lead sources, and it decides how much of your time and money turns into actual jobs. Here's the plain-English version of exclusive vs shared leads.
A shared lead is sold to several trades at once — often four, five or more. The homeowner submits one enquiry, and the platform sells it to everyone who'll pay. You're now in a race: first to call, cheapest to quote, most persistent to chase. Everyone paid for the lead; only one gets the job.
An exclusive lead goes to one trade in the area — you. When you call, you're the first and only conversation. No race, no auction on price, no homeowner who's already sick of their phone ringing. You can take your time, quote properly, and sell on quality.
Say you win a shared lead one time in five. Five leads to win one job — so the true cost is five lead fees per job, plus the hours spent quoting four jobs you lost. With an exclusive lead, your win rate jumps because you're unopposed — many trades convert exclusive leads two to three times more often. Even at a higher price per lead, the cost per won job usually comes out lower. It's covered in detail in how much leads cost.
Lead fees are only half the story. Every shared lead you lose still cost you a phone call, maybe a site visit, and a written quote. Do that four times for every job you win and you've burned days of unpaid work. Exclusive leads protect the scarcest thing you have — your time on the tools.
To be fair: if you're brand new, need reviews fast, and have time to chase hard, shared volume can kick-start a business. Some trades genuinely make it pay by being relentless. But as you get established and your time gets more valuable, the shared model tends to work against you.
Shared leads sell you a chance; exclusive leads sell you an opportunity. If you'd rather quote three jobs and win two than quote ten and win two, exclusive is the model for you. CleanLeads sends exclusive leads — one trade per area, flat £79/month, free first week — across building, bathrooms, windows, driveways and every other trade.
One trade per area. Flat £79/month. Free first week.
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