Buying a Lead & It is Obviously a Fake/ Getting Credit

[Mink]

How do you guys get a credit?

If it is probably a wrong number like 222-1234 and it just rings and rings every time? You have no proof it is a wrong number. Or if the number is constantly busy or the email is returned but a voice mail picks up with a young boy for a Medicare lead. Just because you never got in touch, most are obvious bad leads.

 

[Josh]

Depends on the company. Hometown Quotes is great about that.

 

[LGilmore]

You know just make sure you try other means to find out. Do your footwork beyond just a number that doesn't pick up.

Check address ..does the person live there?
Facebook 9 million people on facebook. Use their email address.
Google the name. You can find Dobs, property tax records, business information....
You can confirm a bad lead with a few steps and just present that info.
I've used an obit. a tribal newsletter.. HS grad date (not many 60 year olds graduated in 2006.

 

[Vikings28]

instead of calling the lead over and over again, call the company. let them know you plan on purchasing leads, but you can't work with them if leads like this don't get credited. just like any business, if they want to keep you as a client they will do what they have to do to keep you happy

 

[Josh]

instead of calling the lead over and over again, call the company. let them know you plan on purchasing leads, but you can't work with them if leads like this don't get credited. just like any business, if they want to keep you as a client they will do what they have to do to keep you happy

Methinks you haven't worked with many internet lead companies.

 

[Vikings28]

haha, i haven't worked with many....i've been with the same two companies since i started. i look for loyalty...im buying hundreds of leads per month, crediting my leads is only going to benefit them so long as i continue buying. it only makes sense from a business stand point to give credits for leads like john smith 123 main street number 222-1234

 

[Bob Klee]

instead of calling the lead over and over again, call the company. let them know you plan on purchasing leads, but you can't work with them if leads like this don't get credited. just like any business, if they want to keep you as a client they will do what they have to do to keep you happy

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Here is how we handle them. We have a department that actually calls/emails the lead once it is requested for credit. In fact, we've caught "bogus" leads just because our folks detected a trend in the VM messages from a certain affiliate. They were ALL fake but to the agent, it would have been impossible to figure that out. No one ever answered the phone but they all had VM messages!

We have given over-rides on crediting leads like the one mentioned above as a 1-off but would not normally give credit for it. For me to give credit the lead has to be 100% bogus. It costs money to drive leads & many times, unfortuately, an agent support staff requests credit as it is easier than doing their job....sucks but is true.

One of the benefits of HometownQuotes.com now concentrating on GQ leads only is....10x++ less requests for credit by agents. No tricks, no games.....just Guaranteed Quality leads.

Thus we've shrunk our Quality Control department as we don't have to spend as much time re-working leads the agents requested credit on. Win-Win for all of us. Gotta like that

 

[Vikings28]

not much of a win-win for the guys that were working in the 'quality control dept'.....it makes sense, but let's be honest with each other...when leads like that are submitted for credit it is your job to figure out where they came from so you can make sure it doesn't happen again....i understand it costs you money, but it's not our fault that you purchased a lead from a bad affiliate.....if a mechanic orders the wrong part or a defected part from one of their vendors, it's not my obligation to pay for that defected or wrong part. that is the main reason why i stay away from lead companies that work with affiliates...in order for you to make a profit, you have to sell a certain amount of leads. if you're getting bogus leads, you cant afford to credit them and i end up taking that loss.

 

[Norwayguy]

++++++++

Here is how we handle them. We have a department that actually calls/emails the lead once it is requested for credit. In fact, we've caught "bogus" leads just because our folks detected a trend in the VM messages from a certain affiliate. They were ALL fake but to the agent, it would have been impossible to figure that out. No one ever answered the phone but they all had VM messages!

We have given over-rides on crediting leads like the one mentioned above as a 1-off but would not normally give credit for it. For me to give credit the lead has to be 100% bogus. It costs money to drive leads & many times, unfortuately, an agent support staff requests credit as it is easier than doing their job....sucks but is true.

One of the benefits of HometownQuotes.com now concentrating on GQ leads only is....10x++ less requests for credit by agents. No tricks, no games.....just Guaranteed Quality leads.

Thus we've shrunk our Quality Control department as we don't have to spend as much time re-working leads the agents requested credit on. Win-Win for all of us. Gotta like that

Bob, first always glad to hear of a company producing more valid than Bogus leads. However I must state you are one heck of a salesman. You turned the fact that you shrunk your quality control department into a positive for producers purchasing from you.

 

[Bob Klee]

Bob, first always glad to hear of a company producing more valid than Bogus leads. However I must state you are one heck of a salesman. You turned the fact that you shrunk your quality control department into a positive for producers purchasing from you.

We still have Quality Control on the front end but these were back end QC folks handling all the bogus lead requests from agents. Calling the same leads the agents called to verify or not, if the lead was bogus.

So thank you on your compliment! [aren't all agents salesman?] ...but what I also should have said is those QC folks now work in Agent Customer Service! No one lost a job & we have more resources to take care of our agents to boot.

It used to be that the service folks had to deal with customer complaints about Quality & why haven't I got credit for that last bogus lead yet. Now we can be proactive & the incoming calls are more about: how do I get more Quantity of leads like these?

So yes, I'm very proud of my team, that we had a vision to provide the best leads in the business & now we are harvesting what we planted. You have no idea how rewarding it is to have agents call in and Rave about how great the leads are instead of complaining about the quality....my staff have better attitudes now too.

So yeah, I'd say a Win-Win for all.