If you buy HVAC leads, they come in three kinds: shared (sold to several contractors), exclusive (sold to one) and calls (billed when a customer rings). Before you buy HVAC leads of any kind, ask how the lead was made, ask for five samples and ring them yourself. The answers tell you more than the sales page.
Most sellers online serve the United States. In Australia and New Zealand the trade is usually called air conditioning or ducted air, and the rules differ: see air conditioning leads in Australia. PreBuild works in Australia and New Zealand and is opening in the United States; it is not selling US HVAC leads yet. Nothing here recommends a seller.
Three kinds of HVAC lead
| Kind | You get | You usually pay | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared | A homeowner who has been sent to several businesses | Less per lead | You race others, and the homeowner is tired of calls |
| Exclusive | A homeowner sent to you only | More per lead | Exclusive can mean different things; ask what the seller means |
| Call | A phone call from someone who saw an ad or listing | Per call that meets the seller’s rules | A short or wrong-number call can still be billable |
The word “exclusive” has no single meaning across sellers. Some mean one buyer for one enquiry. Others mean one buyer per area per month, or one buyer at a time, with the lead resold later. Get the meaning in writing. Pay per call vs pay per lead covers what makes a call billable.
How each is made
The method decides the quality, so ask for it directly.
- Ads and landing pages: the seller runs ads for a service, such as AC repair, and a form or phone number takes the response. Quality depends on the form and on who answers.
- Comparison and quote sites: a homeowner fills in a form for “up to three quotes”. By design, the lead is shared.
- Bought lists and data: names with no recent enquiry. These are not leads in the sense of someone asking for a quote. Avoid them if you want people who asked.
- Calls: from ads, listings or tracking numbers. The seller records the call and decides whether it counts.
Ask: what did the person see, what did they do, and when? If the answer is vague, assume the worst. Also ask whether a person or software checked the lead before it reached you, and what was checked. A real phone call by a person tells you far more than a code sent to a phone.
Replace versus new install
A broken unit and a new house are different jobs. A replacement or repair is urgent and decided quickly, so speed to the door matters most. A new install is slower, often involves a builder, and needs drawings or house details before you can quote. Tell the seller which one you want, and ask them to label each lead. In the United States, ask whether the job is heating, cooling or both, since many homes there need both. The questions that make an Australian ducted air enquiry quotable are in the ducted air guide linked above.
What a seller can show you
- A sample of real, recent leads with the form answers and the time stamps. Names can be hidden.
- The exact definition of a billable lead or call, in writing.
- How many businesses get the same lead, and what happens if it was already sold.
- Their refund or replacement terms, and the time limit for claiming.
- Who rings the homeowner first, if anyone, and how soon.
- Where the lead came from: which ad, page or listing.
Treat percentages in sales pages, such as close rates, as claims from the seller. Nobody outside the seller can check them. Ask for yours, from other contractors in a similar area who will talk to you.
Check the calling rules too. In the United States the FTC explains who the Telemarketing Sales Rule covers. In Australia, the Do Not Call Register says both the telemarketer and the business that commissions the call must comply with the Act. Ask the seller how the homeowner agreed to be contacted, and check your own situation with a lawyer.
Test five before you buy HVAC leads in bulk
Do not sign a long deal first. Buy five, or the smallest amount the seller allows, and treat it as a test.
- Ring each one within five minutes of getting it. Note whether they answer.
- Ask: did they ask for a quote? Did anyone else ring them? How many?
- Check the address is in your area and the job is the kind you do.
- Note how many have a real project and the authority to decide.
- Keep the numbers: leads, reached, quoted, signed.
Five is too few to prove anything. It is enough to find a seller whose leads do not ring, or have been rung by six others. If the leads are shared, how fast you respond will decide whether you ever win one.
Where checked leads fit
Checked leads suit a business that wants to spend its time quoting, not chasing. Ask whether someone rings the homeowner before you do, and what they confirm: a real number, that they asked for a quote, that they want the work done, that they are in your area, that the job can be done at their home, and that they decide.
PreBuild Systems works that way: it rings each homeowner who enquires, checks those six things and sends each to one business only. See how PreBuild finds homeowners and the ducted air and HVAC page. Free routes come first if you have time; see how to generate HVAC leads without paying per lead.
Common questions
Are exclusive HVAC leads worth the extra cost?
Often, if exclusive means one buyer only. Check the definition, because some sellers use the word for something looser.
What is a pay per call HVAC lead?
You pay when a customer calls a tracked number from an ad or listing, if the call meets the seller’s rules, such as length. Ask for those rules in writing.
Where can I find HVAC leads near me?
Through sellers that cover your area, through your own ads and listings, or from referral work. Ask any seller for proof that they serve your suburb or ZIP code.
How do I know if a lead seller is good?
Buy a small test, ring every lead and count how many reach a signed job.