Pricing

How Pay-Per-Lead Pricing Actually Works

6 min read

"How much is a lead?" is the first question every contractor asks, and it's also the hardest to answer with one number — because the price depends on a few specific factors that are worth understanding before you compare providers on price alone.

Exclusive vs. shared

An exclusive, real-time lead — sent to you and no one else, the moment the homeowner inquires — costs more per unit than a shared lead sold to multiple contractors at once. That's not padding; it reflects that you're not splitting the opportunity (or the competition) with anyone else. A lead shared with two or three other buyers is cheaper per lead, but you're paying less for a smaller shot at the job.

Real-time vs. aged

A real-time lead is a homeowner who inquired recently and is still actively looking. An aged lead is older — days, weeks, sometimes longer — and has usually already been contacted by whoever bought it first (sometimes several times over). Aged leads are dramatically cheaper, often sold in bulk, and useful for a different purpose: high-volume follow-up campaigns rather than a hot inquiry you call the same day.

Why "cheapest lead" isn't the same as "cheapest job"

A $10 shared, aged lead and a $45 exclusive, real-time lead aren't the same product with different price tags — they're different products. The real comparison that matters isn't cost-per-lead, it's cost-per-closed-job once you factor in how many of each type you actually convert. A handful of exclusive leads with a real shot at closing can cost less in the end than a larger pile of cheap, aged, already-shopped-around leads.

There's no universal "fair price" for a lead — the honest version of this answer is always "it depends on exclusivity, freshness, and your trade/market," not a single number pulled from a rate card.

What we do at Ashira Leads

We run exclusive, real-time campaigns — every lead comes from our own ads and goes to one contractor. Right now that means exclusive roofing leads and exclusive HVAC leads for contractors in Philadelphia, South Jersey, and across Pennsylvania. Exact pricing for your trade and service area gets confirmed directly with you, not guessed on a page, because it genuinely depends on your market. No retainer, no contract either way: you pay for leads delivered.

Want the number for your specific trade and area? Apply for a trial batch and we'll walk through it directly.