Picking the right lead vendor comes down to three questions, asked before you buy and answered in writing. The lead shows you the name, the number, the address, all of it. Every field except the one that matters: who else got it.
This is the check from my video, written out so you can send it today. The three questions, plus the follow-ups that close the loopholes, in one email you can copy. How to tell a straight answer from a dodge. What goes in the contract. And how to check your first batch against what they wrote. There's also a prompt that has Claude or ChatGPT score the seller's reply for you.
I'm not saying every shared lead is bad. Some close, and some sellers tell you straight. The point is knowing what you're buying before you pay for it.
Start here: paste this into ChatGPT or Claude
Not technical? Start here. Copy this prompt into ChatGPT or Claude (the free versions work) and it walks you through the whole guide, one step at a time, in plain English. It asks before it assumes anything and checks with you before anything that costs money, reaches a real customer or deletes something. The rest of the page is the same guide, written out, if you'd rather do it yourself.
Hi! Please be my patient guide for this step-by-step guide from Receipts Group: "Three questions to ask a lead vendor before you buy"
The guide is here: https://receiptsgroup.com/guides/lead-vendor-questions (open it if you can; if you can't, everything you need is below).
About me: I run a small business and I'm not technical. Use plain words and short sentences.
My goal: before I buy leads or appointments from a seller, get three answers in writing: how soon after me does anybody else get the lead, what happens when the number's dead, and how many companies get this exact lead. Then close the loopholes with a few follow-up questions, get it all into the contract, and check the first batch against what they wrote.
How to help me:
1. One step at a time. For each step, tell me in a sentence what it's for and exactly what to do. Then stop and wait until I say "done" or tell you what I see.
2. Ask before you assume anything about my business, the seller, my team or my numbers. One question at a time.
3. If you use a technical or contract word, explain it in plain English the first time (for example: shared lead, exclusive lead, credit, consent).
4. Stop and check with me before anything that costs money (signing up, paying, buying a first order), anything that reaches a real customer or the seller (sending the email, calling a lead), and anything that deletes something.
5. Use only what I tell you or show you. Never make up numbers, names, answers or contract terms. If something's missing, ask me.
6. You're not my lawyer. Don't tell me a contract or a consent form is legal or compliant; flag it for my lawyer instead.
7. If I paste anything, remind me first to take out homeowners' names, phone numbers, addresses and account numbers.
The steps, from the guide:
Step 1. Write down what I'm buying.
A lead (a name and a number), an appointment (a time at the house), or a live call. Who sells it, what it costs per piece, and which trade and area. Ask me these.
Step 2. Send the seller the questions by email.
Email, not a phone call, so the answers are in writing. The first three are the ones that matter, and question 3 (how many companies get this exact lead) is the one sellers really don't want to answer. Help me fill in the brackets in the email below and delete the appointment questions if they only sell leads. Show me the finished email and wait for my yes before I send it.
Step 3. Score the answers.
When they reply, help me label each answer: STRAIGHT (a clear yes, no, number or time), DODGE ("it depends", "it's complicated", a sales line) or NOT ANSWERED. If the answer to question 3 isn't a clear number in writing, or it's "it's complicated", assume the lead is shared. If they'll say it on the phone but won't write it down, treat it as not answered.
Step 4. Put it in the contract.
Go through the contract checklist below with me. Anything they promised on the sales call or in the email that isn't in the contract, I ask them to add before I sign. If I'll autodial these leads, use a recorded voice or send automated texts, I have my lawyer read the consent wording first.
Step 5. Check the first batch.
Start with the smallest order they'll sell me. Call each lead the normal way, the day it comes in, and fill in the first-batch check below. On the call, it's fine to ask "Have other companies reached out about this already?" and write down what they say. Then compare it with what the seller wrote.
The email to the seller (fill in the brackets with me):
---
Subject: Before I buy: three questions about your leads
Hi [name],
Before I sign up, I need a few answers in writing.
A reply to this email is fine.
THE THREE THAT MATTER
1. How soon after me does anybody else get this
lead? Or do we all get it at the same time?
2. What happens when the number's dead, wrong or
disconnected? A credit, a replacement, a refund?
3. How many companies get this exact lead (the same
person, the same request)? If it's more than
one, what's the most?
A FEW FOLLOW-UPS
4. Do you sell or share the same lead again later?
If so, when?
5. If you call it "exclusive", what does that mean,
and for how long? Is that word in the contract?
6. Which zip codes do I get, and who else do you
sell leads to, or set appointments for, there?
7. Where do the leads come from: your own ads and
forms, or bought from another company?
8. Please send a copy of the form the homeowner
fills out, and the exact wording they agree to
about being contacted. Does it name my company?
9. What else gets a credit (out of my area, a
duplicate, not the homeowner, wrong service)?
How do I ask, how many days do I have, and who
decides?
10. What do you get paid for: the lead, the
appointment, or the sale? How am I billed, is
there a minimum, and how do I cancel?
APPOINTMENTS (skip if you only sell leads)
11. What counts as an appointment? Who confirms it
with the homeowner, and how?
12. Do all the decision makers have to be there?
13. What happens when nobody's home?
Please answer each one in writing. If any of it is
in the contract, point me to the section.
Thanks,
[your name]
---
The contract checklist:
---
CONTRACT CHECKLIST: LEADS OR APPOINTMENTS
Seller: ____________ Date: ________
THE THREE
[ ] How long before anyone else gets it: ____
[ ] Dead or wrong number: credit / replacement
/ refund: ______________
[ ] Most companies that get each lead: ____
THE REST
[ ] Resold later? Never / after ____ days
[ ] "Exclusive" means: ________________
and lasts: ____________
[ ] My area or zip codes: ______________
[ ] Who else they sell to or set for here
[ ] Where the leads come from
[ ] A copy of the homeowner's consent
wording, when I ask for it
[ ] Other credits: out of area, duplicate,
not the homeowner, wrong service
[ ] How to ask for a credit: __________
Deadline: ____ Who decides: _______
[ ] What they get paid for: ___________
[ ] Billing and any minimum: __________
[ ] How to cancel, and the notice: ____
APPOINTMENTS ONLY
[ ] What counts as an appointment
[ ] Who confirms it, and how
[ ] What happens when nobody's home
Promised on the sales call but missing
here? Ask them to add it before you sign.
---
The first-batch check (one per lead):
---
FIRST-BATCH CHECK
(lead numbers only: no names or phone numbers)
Lead #: ______
Came in: date ______ time ______
We called: time ______
Reached someone? Y / N
The number: works / dead / wrong person
Other companies already called? Y / N
How many they mentioned: ____
Matches what the seller wrote? Y / N
Asked for a credit? Y / N
Got it? Y / N
---
Watch out for these:
- An answer on the phone but not in writing. Ask for it in an email. No email, treat it as no.
- "It's complicated" on question 3. Assume it's shared, then ask for the most companies that can get one lead, as a number.
- "Exclusive" in the email but not in the contract. Ask them to add it before I sign.
- "Exclusive" with a time limit. Ask how long, and what happens to the lead after.
- Missing the credit deadline. Check numbers the day they come in.
- Pasting customer details into an AI. Take out names, numbers and addresses first.
When we're done, give me a short recap: what we did, what the seller said to each of the three questions, whether I should treat the lead as shared, and what's still missing from the contract.
Start by asking me a few quick questions about my business and the seller, one at a time. Then begin with step 1.The three questions
- How soon after me does anybody else get it? If it's shared, this tells you how much of a head start you're paying for, if any.
- What happens when the number's dead? A credit, a replacement, a refund, or nothing. And how many days you have to ask.
- How many companies get this exact lead? This is the one sellers really don't want to answer, and it's the one that matters most.
If the answer to number 3 is "it's complicated", it's shared. You're paying full price for a lead other companies are already calling.
- 1What you're buyingYou: a lead, an appointment or a live call→ one line you can read back to the seller
- 2The questionsOne email to the seller→ their answers, in writing
- 3The scoreYou, or the Claude/ChatGPT prompt below→ straight, dodge or not answered, for each one
- 4The contractThe contract checklist→ the answers, in the thing you sign
- 5The first batchYour normal first calls + the first-batch check→ does it match what they wrote?
Words you'll see
- Shared lead: the same person's request sold to more than one company.
- Exclusive lead: sold to you only. Ask for how long, and what happens to it after.
- Appointment: a time at the house that somebody set with the homeowner, not just a name and a number.
- Credit: what the seller gives back when a lead is bad (a dead number, out of your area). Every seller's rules are different.
- Consent: what the homeowner agreed to when they filled out the form, including who's allowed to call or text them.
The check, step by step
Write down what you're buying
One line: a lead (a name and a number), an appointment (a time at the house) or a live call, from which seller, for which trade and which area, at what price per piece. If you can't write that line, you're not ready to compare answers.
Send the questions by email
Email, not a phone call. The whole point is getting it in writing. Fill in the brackets, delete the appointment questions if they only sell leads, and send it. The first three are the ones from the video. The follow-ups close the loopholes, like a lead that's "exclusive" for a day and then gets sold again.
Subject: Before I buy: three questions about your leads Hi [name], Before I sign up, I need a few answers in writing. A reply to this email is fine. THE THREE THAT MATTER 1. How soon after me does anybody else get this lead? Or do we all get it at the same time? 2. What happens when the number's dead, wrong or disconnected? A credit, a replacement, a refund? 3. How many companies get this exact lead (the same person, the same request)? If it's more than one, what's the most? A FEW FOLLOW-UPS 4. Do you sell or share the same lead again later? If so, when? 5. If you call it "exclusive", what does that mean, and for how long? Is that word in the contract? 6. Which zip codes do I get, and who else do you sell leads to, or set appointments for, there? 7. Where do the leads come from: your own ads and forms, or bought from another company? 8. Please send a copy of the form the homeowner fills out, and the exact wording they agree to about being contacted. Does it name my company? 9. What else gets a credit (out of my area, a duplicate, not the homeowner, wrong service)? How do I ask, how many days do I have, and who decides? 10. What do you get paid for: the lead, the appointment, or the sale? How am I billed, is there a minimum, and how do I cancel? APPOINTMENTS (skip if you only sell leads) 11. What counts as an appointment? Who confirms it with the homeowner, and how? 12. Do all the decision makers have to be there? 13. What happens when nobody's home? Please answer each one in writing. If any of it is in the contract, point me to the section. Thanks, [your name]Score the answers
Go through the reply one question at a time and mark each one straight, dodge or not answered. Start with question 3. If the answer is "it's complicated", assume it's shared. Same if it isn't a number, or if they'll say it on the phone but won't write it down. The table under these steps shows what each kind of answer looks like.
Put it in the contract
The email tells you what they say. The contract is what you sign. Get it in the contract, not on the sales call. Anything from the call or the email that isn't in there, ask them to add before you sign. Have your lawyer read it if anything's unclear.
CONTRACT CHECKLIST: LEADS OR APPOINTMENTS Seller: ____________ Date: ________ THE THREE [ ] How long before anyone else gets it: ____ [ ] Dead or wrong number: credit / replacement / refund: ______________ [ ] Most companies that get each lead: ____ THE REST [ ] Resold later? Never / after ____ days [ ] "Exclusive" means: ________________ and lasts: ____________ [ ] My area or zip codes: ______________ [ ] Who else they sell to or set for here [ ] Where the leads come from [ ] A copy of the homeowner's consent wording, when I ask for it [ ] Other credits: out of area, duplicate, not the homeowner, wrong service [ ] How to ask for a credit: __________ Deadline: ____ Who decides: _______ [ ] What they get paid for: ___________ [ ] Billing and any minimum: __________ [ ] How to cancel, and the notice: ____ APPOINTMENTS ONLY [ ] What counts as an appointment [ ] Who confirms it, and how [ ] What happens when nobody's home Promised on the sales call but missing here? Ask them to add it before you sign.Check the first batch
Start with the smallest order they'll sell you. Call each lead the way you normally would, the day it comes in, and fill in one check per lead. On the call it's fine to ask, "Have other companies reached out about this already?" Write down what they say and don't push. Then line it up with what the seller wrote. If it doesn't match, send them the lead numbers (not the names) and ask.
FIRST-BATCH CHECK (lead numbers only: no names or phone numbers) Lead #: ______ Came in: date ______ time ______ We called: time ______ Reached someone? Y / N The number: works / dead / wrong person Other companies already called? Y / N How many they mentioned: ____ Matches what the seller wrote? Y / N Asked for a credit? Y / N Got it? Y / N
| The question | A straight answer | A dodge |
|---|---|---|
| 1. How soon after me? | A time: "same minute", "[time] later", "never" | "Pretty quick." "Just call fast and you'll be fine." |
| 2. Dead number? | What you get, how to ask, the deadline, and the contract section | "We take care of our clients." |
| 3. How many companies get it? | A number: "just you" or "up to [number]" | "It depends." "It's complicated." "Our leads are high intent." |
| 4. Resold later? | "Never" or "after [number] days" | No answer to that one |
| 8. The consent wording? | A copy of the form and the exact words | "It's all compliant", with nothing attached |
| 10. What do you get paid for? | "The lead", "the appointment" or "the sale" | Anything you have to read twice |
Example (made up)
Everything here is made up: a fictional roofing company and a fictional seller.
A roofing company is thinking about buying roof-replacement leads. The office manager sends the email. The reply:
| Question | What the seller wrote | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1. How soon after you? | "You'll get it in real time." | Dodge (it says when they get it, not when anyone else does) |
| 2. Dead number? | "Request a credit in the portal within 7 days." | Straight |
| 3. How many companies get it? | "Our leads go to a small, select group of pros." | Dodge |
| 4. Resold later? | No answer | Not answered |
One straight answer out of four, and question 3 is a dodge. So they treat it as shared and write back: "What's the most companies that get one lead, and how soon after us? Please put both in the contract."
The seller answers: up to three companies, all at the same time, and yes, it can go in the contract. Now they know it's a shared lead, and they can decide whether it's worth it to them and how fast their reps have to call. That's the whole point: no surprises after the check clears.
First test: score your seller's answers with Claude or ChatGPT (free)
Already buying from someone? Start there. It costs nothing: send them the email, then paste their reply (and the contract, if you have it) into this prompt. It quotes their words next to each question, so you can see what's actually in writing.
Before you paste: take out homeowners' names, phone numbers and addresses, and any account numbers. In Claude you can also choose whether your chats help improve its models: Settings → Privacy → Help Improve our AI models (or go straight to claude.ai/settings/data-privacy-controls).
I run a [your trade] business and I'm thinking about buying [leads / appointments] from a seller. Below are the questions I sent and their written answers. [If you have it: their contract or terms are below that.]
Please:
1. Make a table: each question, the seller's exact words that answer it (quote them), and a label: STRAIGHT (a clear yes, no, number or time), DODGE ("it depends", "it's complicated", a sales line), or NOT ANSWERED.
2. Start with the three that matter most: how soon after me anybody else gets the lead, what happens when the number's dead, and how many companies get the exact same lead.
3. If the contract says something different from the email, show both quotes side by side.
4. Tell me, in one line, whether I should treat this lead as shared. If the number of companies isn't a clear number in writing, the answer is: assume it's shared.
5. List what I should ask them to put in the contract before I sign.
6. Flag anything about consent or calling rules as "ask my lawyer". You're not my lawyer, so don't tell me something is legal or compliant.
Rules: quote, don't summarize. Never guess a number or fill in a blank. Plain words, short sentences.
My questions and their answers:
[paste the email thread here, with names, phone numbers and account numbers removed]
Their contract or terms:
[paste here, or write "none yet"]Good: a table with the seller's exact words in quotes, a label on each, and "assume it's shared" if question 3 has no number. Bad: it summarizes instead of quoting, or it fills in a number the seller never wrote. Search the email for each quote: if you can't find it, the AI made it up, so ask it to redo that row.
What it costs
| What | Plan | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The email and the checklists | None | $0 |
| Claude (the scoring prompt) | Free | $0 |
| Claude, if you want more use | Pro | $20 a month billed monthly, or $17 a month billed yearly ($200 up front) |
| ChatGPT | See OpenAI's pricing page | Not checked: chatgpt.com/pricing didn't load for us on 2026-10-18 |
When it breaks
They'll answer on the phone but not in writing
"It's complicated"
"Exclusive" in the email, but not in the contract
"Exclusive" comes with a time limit
Homeowners say other companies already called
Dead numbers, but the credit deadline passed
They won't send the consent wording
The AI fills in an answer the seller never gave
The AI says the contract is "fine" or "compliant"
ChatGPT or Claude can't open the guide link
Ask all three, get it in writing
How soon after you, what happens when the number's dead, and how many companies get it: in the contract, not on the sales call. If question 3 gets "it's complicated", it's shared, and you just bought the raffle ticket.
That's also why our floor sets each in-home appointment for one partner per market.
Checked on Oct 18, 2026 against
Every claim about a third-party tool in this guide (plans, prices, menu paths, commands, limits) was checked against these official pages on Oct 18, 2026. These screens change often: if something looks different, trust the page over this guide.
- 47 CFR 64.1200 (Cornell LII)(a)(2) and (a)(3): marketing calls with an autodialer or a prerecorded or artificial voice need prior express written consent; (f)(9): the definition, a written agreement signed by the person called that clearly authorizes the seller to make the calls and includes the number (checked 2026-10-18).
- Claude: Plans and pricingFree at $0; Pro at $20 a month billed monthly, or $17 a month billed yearly ($200 up front) (checked 2026-10-18).
- Claude Privacy Center: How do I change my model improvement privacy settings?Settings → Privacy → Help Improve our AI models (or claude.ai/settings/data-privacy-controls), for Claude Free, Pro and Max (checked 2026-10-18).
