Lead Quality & Returns

Returns are submitted through your dashboard in under 60 seconds. Click the lead, click Return, pick the reason from the dropdown, and paste a short note — for wrong-number returns we ask for a screenshot or 10-second audio clip from your dialer. Most returns are auto-approved within 10 minutes using our phone verification API and DNC database; borderline cases are reviewed by a human within 24 hours. Approved returns are credited back to your wallet at the full original price; rejected returns include a short explanation so you can decide whether to escalate. The median approval rate across our book is 78%, meaning roughly 4 out of 5 submitted returns are credited. Chronic abuse of the return system (for example, returning every lead you didn't sell) triggers an account review.

Every real-time lead passes through a four-layer scrub before it hits your inbox. Layer 1: phone format and carrier lookup — we confirm the number is a valid US landline or mobile, not a VoIP spam line, using a Twilio lookup. Layer 2: TCPA Litigator List wash — the number is checked against the Blacklist Alliance litigator database to block known bad actors. Layer 3: Federal DNC check for non-SAN buyers and state DNC for state-restricted buyers. Layer 4: deduplication across our last-90-days delivery ledger so you never receive the same lead twice. The total latency of all four layers is under 800 milliseconds, so real-time delivery is still effectively instant. Aged leads are re-scrubbed at the moment of purchase because phone and DNC status can change between original capture and resale.

Across our book, real-time web lead return rates run 4–9% depending on vertical — Medicare and Final Expense are on the lower end, ACA and Auto on the higher end because those consumers shop across many vendors and contact information changes faster. Live transfer return rates are lower (1–3%) because the consumer is on the line at the moment of billing; you can refuse the transfer if the consumer fails qualification and you are not charged. Aged lead return rates are higher (8–15%) which is why they are priced at such a steep discount. If your return rate exceeds 20% in any 30-day window, your account manager will schedule a call to review the returns — usually it is a filter or dialer issue that is trivially fixable, but we want to diagnose before continuing delivery.

Rejected returns include a reason code and a short explanation. If you disagree, reply to the rejection email or open a dispute in your dashboard and include additional evidence: a call recording, a dialer log, a screenshot of the disconnected-number message, or a note from the consumer. Disputes are handled by a senior quality analyst — not the same person who reviewed the original return — within two business days. About 30% of disputes are overturned and credited. If a dispute is denied a second time, you can escalate to your account manager for a final review. Persistent, good-faith disputes are never held against you; we track dispute quality and agents who consistently submit accurate returns get faster auto-approvals over time.

Three factors drive perceived lead quality: (1) intent — did the consumer actively search for insurance and fill out a form, or were they incentivized with a giveaway or survey? InsureLeads runs only organic, intent-based funnels; we do not use incentive offers, co-reg, or survey traffic. (2) Recency — a lead contacted within 5 minutes closes at roughly 10x the rate of a lead contacted after 24 hours per MIT Lead Response Management studies, so speed-to-lead matters more than almost anything else. (3) Exclusivity — a lead sold to one agent closes at 2–3x the rate of the same lead sold to four competitors. All our real-time leads are exclusive, generated from intent-driven organic search, and delivered in seconds — that combination is why our close rates run above typical aggregator benchmarks.

No, and any lead vendor that does should be viewed skeptically. Close rate is a function of four factors: lead quality, agent skill, product fit, and speed-to-lead. We control only the first. A great lead handed to a rookie who calls 48 hours later will close at a fraction of the rate of the same lead handed to a veteran who calls in 5 minutes. What we do guarantee is lead exclusivity, data accuracy on returnable fields, DNC compliance, and fast delivery. For benchmark context: live transfers typically close at 15–30%, exclusive real-time web leads at 5–15%, and aged leads at 2–6%. Our internal data shows top-quartile agents beat those bands by 30–50%, usually because they dial within 5 minutes and run a 6-touch cadence.