Moving leads are enquiries from households and businesses planning a relocation, and a mover can obtain them in three ways: earn them through its own site and listings, buy them from a marketplace that sells the same enquiry to several movers, or buy exclusive leads from a generator that sells each one once. The three cost different amounts, close at different rates, and carry different rules about how you may contact the person. Most movers end up with a mix and never compare the mix honestly, because the marketplace invoice is visible while the cost of the leads they earned themselves is buried in a marketing retainer. This page sets out how to compare them on the same basis.
Where the three sources differ
A shared marketplace lead is sold to several movers at once, so the enquiry arrives with a bidding war already in progress and the first caller usually wins. Close rates are low by design and the price per lead reflects that. An exclusive lead costs several times as much but arrives without competition, which usually produces a better conversation and a much better close rate, provided the lead is genuinely exclusive rather than exclusive within a territory that is drawn generously. Leads you earn yourself, through your own site pages, your Google listing and referrals, cost whatever your marketing costs divided by the enquiries it produced, and they close best of all because the household chose you rather than a form. The only fair comparison is cost per booked job, not cost per lead, and calculating it requires that every source is tagged at the point of enquiry.
What a lead is worth, and how to work it out
Rather than trusting a seller's figure, build your own from four numbers you already have: contact rate, quote rate, close rate and average revenue per job, ideally split between local moves and long distance since the economics differ sharply. Multiply the three rates together and you have the share of leads that become jobs; divide the lead price by that share and you have the true acquisition cost per booked move. Run the same arithmetic on your own website enquiries and you will usually find they cost less per booked job even when the monthly marketing bill looks large next to a per-lead invoice. That comparison is the whole argument for investing in SEO for moving companies rather than renting demand indefinitely, and it should be made with your own numbers rather than anyone's benchmark.
The rules that govern contacting a lead
Speed to contact wins moving jobs, which is exactly why the contact rules matter. The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule governs calls that sell goods or services, including calls to purchased leads: it requires sellers and telemarketers to honor the National Do Not Call Registry, restricts calls to the hours between 8am and 9pm in the recipient's local time, requires prompt disclosure of who is calling and what is being sold, and places conditions on prerecorded messages. Email is governed separately by the CAN-SPAM Act, which requires accurate header and subject information, identification of the message as an advertisement, a valid physical postal address, and a working opt-out that is honored promptly. Crucially, the FTC's compliance guidance for CAN-SPAM notes that a company whose product is promoted can be legally responsible even when another company sends the message, so buying leads does not outsource the liability.
How to vet a lead seller
Ask five questions in writing. How many movers receive this lead, and is exclusivity by household or by territory? Where did the enquiry originate, and can you see the form and the page it came from? What consent language did the consumer see, and will the seller supply the consent record if a complaint arrives? What is the replacement policy for disconnected numbers, wrong service areas and duplicate submissions, and how fast are credits issued? What is the notice period to stop? Then run a paid test with a fixed budget and a hard stop, tagging every lead so you can compute cost per booked job at the end rather than judging the source by how the first two calls felt. Sellers who answer all five plainly are usually the ones worth testing.
Questions people ask about moving leads
Are exclusive moving leads worth the higher price?
Often, but prove it with your own arithmetic. Multiply contact rate by quote rate by close rate for each source, divide the lead price by that share, and compare cost per booked job. Exclusive leads justify their price only when the close rate rises enough to offset it.
Can I call a purchased lead immediately?
You can call quickly, within the rules. The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule restricts calls to between 8am and 9pm in the recipient's local time, requires honoring the Do Not Call Registry, and requires prompt disclosure of the caller's identity and purpose. Keep the consent record the seller supplied.
Who is liable if a lead vendor breaks email rules?
Possibly you as well as them. The FTC's CAN-SPAM compliance guidance states that both the company whose product is promoted and the company that sends the message can be held legally responsible, so a vendor's practices are your problem too. Review their templates before you buy.
How much of my volume should come from bought leads?
Enough to fill capacity while owned demand is being built, and no more. Bought leads are rented and stop the day you stop paying; enquiries from your own site and listing compound. Track the two separately so the mix is a decision rather than a habit.