How to Choose a Lead Generation Company: 10 Questions
How to choose a lead generation company in the UK: 10 questions installers should put to any lead supplier, what a good answer sounds like, and the red flags.
If you're working out how to choose a lead generation company, ask where its leads come from, who else gets them, what was checked and what happens when one is bad. Those answers matter more than the price per lead, because a cheap lead that was shared, stale or collected without proper consent is expensive by the time it has used up a rep's afternoon.
This is a checklist for UK installers buying leads: ten questions to put to any lead supplier, including us, with what a good answer sounds like and what should make you walk away.
A supplier that answers all ten clearly isn't guaranteed to send you good leads. One that can't answer them is telling you something.
What should you ask a lead generation company?
1. Who generated the lead?
Ask whether the supplier ran the campaign that produced the enquiry, or bought it from another business and is selling it on. A lead generation company in the UK can be anything from a firm running its own ads to a broker passing on other people's data. You want to know which.
2. Has anyone else bought it?
Shared leads are cheaper because several firms split the cost, and then all of them ring the same homeowner. Ask how many buyers receive each lead, and get the answer in writing. Our guide to exclusive vs shared leads sets out the trade-off.
3. How old is it when it reaches you?
An enquiry made at lunchtime and delivered the next morning has already cooled. Ask for times on every lead: when the form was filled in, when it was first followed up and when it was delivered. “Fresh” without times means nothing. Ask too whether older leads are ever sold, and labelled as such.
4. What was checked, and how?
“Verified” can mean a lot or nothing. Ask which fields were checked against something outside the form, and how, and which are simply the homeowner's answers. A roof direction from the homeowner is fine, provided nobody presents it as a survey. Ask what is never sent: out-of-area postcodes, duplicates, jobs you don't do.
5. Does the consent name you?
Ask for the consent wording and the time it was given. The ICO's guidance on electronic mail marketing says that if a third party tells you its data has consent, you must check that the consent:
- named your organisation, not just “trusted partners” or similar;
- clearly covered the method, email or text;
- was freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous;
- is recorded, so you can show who consented, when and how.
If it doesn't name you, the guidance says you must not send email or text marketing on it. That is the regulator's guidance, not legal advice; take your own if you are unsure.
6. What do the ads say?
The ad sets the homeowner's expectations, so ask to see it. The ASA's advice on lead generation marketing says lead generators must make their commercial intent clear and should make clear up front that they are a lead generation company; a disclaimer or footnote is unlikely to be enough. It also points to rulings against ads offering “solar funding schemes” and “grants” with “Apply now” buttons, where the advertiser couldn't show the funding was genuine and available.
7. How are homeowners followed up, and in whose name?
Some suppliers pass the lead straight on; others contact the homeowner first. If so, ask what is said, on which channel and in whose name. A message in the supplier's brand introduces the supplier. A message in yours means the homeowner has heard of you before your rep rings. Ask, too, what happens to someone who isn't ready yet.
8. What happens after delivery, and can you see outcomes?
Ask where leads land, then whether outcomes such as booked, call back, not interested and invalid number go back to the supplier and change anything. A supplier that never hears what happened can only optimise for form fills. Recorded calls also settle arguments about quality better than memory does; see how call analytics helps you judge lead quality.
9. What happens to a bad lead?
Ask for the returns policy in writing: what counts as a bad lead, how long you have to report it, what evidence you need and whether you get a credit or a replacement. A short reporting window and a long list of exclusions can make a generous-sounding policy hard to use.
10. How is it priced, and are there minimums or a retainer?
Ask for the price per lead and what moves it, then everything else: set-up fees, a monthly retainer, minimum volumes, notice periods, and whether you are paying for leads or for clicks. A low price per lead with a large minimum commitment is a different deal. Work out what a lead really costs once your contact and booking rates are in.
The checklist at a glance
| Question | A good answer | A red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Who generated the lead? | “We did, from our own campaigns” | Vague, or “our network of partners” |
| Has anyone else bought it? | Sold once, to you, in writing | “Semi-exclusive” with no number |
| How old is it? | Times on every lead | “Fresh” with no times |
| What was checked? | Which fields, and how; the rest labelled as the homeowner's answer | “Fully verified” with no detail |
| Does the consent name you? | Your business named, wording and time stored | “Trusted partners”, or no record |
| What do the ads say? | Clear about who is advertising and what is on offer | “Free solar” or grant claims it can't back up |
| How are homeowners followed up? | In your name, with your questions | In the supplier's brand, or not at all |
| Can you see outcomes? | Outcomes logged and fed back to the ads | Leads delivered and forgotten |
| What happens to a bad lead? | A written returns policy you can use | No policy, or one hedged with exclusions |
| How is it priced? | A clear price per lead and what moves it | Fees, retainers or minimums you learn about later |
Where POCKLA fits
Here are our answers, briefly:
- Who generated it? We did, from our own Meta and Google campaigns, with each click sent to a page made for that audience or search.
- Has anyone else bought it? No. Every lead is sold once, to one buyer.
- How old is it? Each lead arrives with its timeline: form, WhatsApp or SMS, then your CRM, with times.
- What was checked? The phone number is checked live and the postcode against your area; every other field is the homeowner's own answer. For solar, we never send leads outside your area or criteria, commercial projects, grant- or ECO4-dependent jobs, duplicates, or anyone without consent.
- Does the consent name you? Yes, with the wording and time stored. The data is shared only with the buyer named in the consent, under UK GDPR.
- What do the ads say? No “free solar” and no savings we can't back up. We check your credentials before a campaign goes live, including MCS certification if you advertise it.
- How are homeowners followed up? Our AI messages each enquiry on WhatsApp seconds after the form, in your business name. It asks your questions, handles objections plainly, agrees a call time they chose and keeps nurturing anyone not ready. Free SMS nurture with a personalised link is the alternative. It is included with every lead, and we set it up and run it.
- Can you see outcomes? Leads go into any CRM, or POCKLA Desk if you have none. Calls made from Desk get free call analytics, and outcomes logged in Desk or read from your CRM go back to the ads.
- What happens to a bad lead? For solar, invalid numbers are returned with no time limit. For other products, ask us on the call.
- How is it priced? Solar is £20–£50 per qualified web lead, indicative and not a quote; the exact price depends on your criteria, area, delivery and volume, and is agreed on a call. Other products, minimums and terms are agreed on that call too. You pay for leads, not clicks.
Getting started is a call to agree your criteria, postcodes, follow-up channel and delivery; then we go live. Here is how POCKLA works.
Putting a lead supplier through these questions? Start with ours →