Shared Lead
A lead sold simultaneously to 3–8 agents, priced lower than exclusive but with lower contact and close rates due to competition.
Full Definition
A shared lead is sold to multiple buying agents at the same time — typically 3–5 buyers, sometimes up to 8 in high-demand verticals. Shared leads are the dominant economic model in auto, home, and health insurance lead generation because they maximize revenue per form fill for the publisher. Shared pricing typically runs 30–50% of exclusive pricing in the same vertical. Contact rate on a shared lead drops sharply with each additional buyer: industry data suggests roughly –25% contact rate per additional buyer after the first. Shared leads reward agencies with fast dialers, strong follow-up cadences, and speed-to-contact discipline, because the first caller usually wins.
Example
A lead vendor sells the same ACA web lead to 4 agents at $10 each (total $40, vs. $32 for exclusive). Buyer 1 calls in 45 seconds and speaks with the consumer. Buyers 2–4 get voicemail, because the consumer is now on the phone with Buyer 1 — or has stopped picking up after the second ring.
Related Terms
- Exclusive Lead — A lead sold to only one agent, never resold, resulting in higher contact and close rates than shared leads.
- Speed-to-Contact — The elapsed time between lead delivery and the first outbound contact attempt — the dominant variable in web-lead conversion.
- Contact Rate — The percentage of leads an agent successfully reaches by phone — the first-stage conversion metric in any outbound program.
- Real-Time Web Lead — A consumer inquiry submitted through an online form and delivered to the buying agent within seconds of form submission.