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Choose a contractor lead generation company by matching its written product to your work, territory and sales capacity. Before comparing price, establish what reaches your office, who else receives it and who makes the qualifying call. Then check the full cost and the terms for a failed lead or an ended agreement.
Disclosure: theBuildd sells exclusive homeowner leads. Apply this checklist to our offer as well as every alternative. A provider’s sales claims are a starting point for questions, not proof of future results. For marketplace examples, use the Thumbtack Pro review and Houzz Pro lead-generation review to see how public terms and unavailable facts are separated.
1. What project am I buying?
Name accepted work and exclusions. A broad roofing, HVAC or remodeling category can contain requests your company does not take. Define your minimum project, residential scope and any relevant equipment or specialty limits.
Ask which details are collected before delivery and which are left for your office. Do not pay for a promised filter unless the provider can explain how that distinction is made.
2. Why is the homeowner expecting contact?
Ask where the request originated, when it happened and what the person was told about contact. The opt-in homeowner checklist covers the source context to request.
A provider’s “opt-in” label does not by itself establish every permission or contact method. Determine how discrepancies and changed preferences are recorded. Your office should be able to explain who it is and why it is calling.
3. Who else receives the inquiry?
Get the recipient count and its boundaries in writing. Ask about later resale, duplicate submissions, other product formats and affiliate distribution. A shared tier can be a legitimate product if it is described clearly; decide whether that model fits your business.
The exclusive versus shared guide separates distribution from qualification. One-buyer delivery does not prevent the homeowner independently contacting another contractor.
4. What does the territory reservation cover?
If territory protection matters, name the ZIPs, trade, start date and applicable term. Ask what happens on a pause, plan change or cancellation. A promise about individual lead exclusivity is not automatically a promise that the whole region is reserved.
Use the territory worksheet to check those fields. Do not infer a volume floor or permanent rights from a map or a “sold out” label.
5. Who qualifies and hands over the homeowner?
Distinguish an opt-in, a completed conversation, a live transfer and a booked appointment. Ask what “qualified” includes and which facts remain homeowner-reported. A source cannot settle your technical assessment, final price or financing process with a general lead label.
With theBuildd, base plans leave the qualifying call with your team. Optional monthly dispatching adds callers and a live transfer or booked appointment handoff. Trial and weekly plans exclude it.
6. What creates a charge, and what else is on the invoice?
A useful proposal separates the following items rather than placing everything under “leads.”
| Cost or term | Written answer to request |
|---|---|
| Billable event | Contact, call, transfer, appointment, click or recurring service |
| Fixed cost | Setup, platform, management and minimum commitment |
| Variable cost | Per-lead charges, media, overages and extra territories |
| Qualification | Included calling or separately priced service |
| Renewal | Billing period, price changes, notice and auto-renewal |
| Remedies | Replacement, credit, non-billing or refund if explicitly offered |
Do not compare a provider’s media-only cost observation with another provider’s complete monthly invoice. The unit and included work must be visible beside the amount.
7. How do I report a lead that misses the definition?
Ask for eligible failures, evidence, reporting window and what happens after a report. An out-of-area property, wrong service and a homeowner declining your quote are different outcomes.
theBuildd replaces bad leads rather than refunding them. Confirm the applicable eligibility terms before purchasing. A clear policy is more useful than an assurance that bad leads almost never occur. Use the duplicate contractor lead guide to separate a provider repeat from a prior customer or independent-source overlap.
8. What happens when I pause or leave?
Read the term, notice period, renewal and any early-exit charges. Also identify ownership and access for phone numbers, accounts, landing pages and CRM records where they are part of the service.
A longer agreement is not proof of a bad provider, and a short agreement is not proof of good results. Evaluate the commitment against the setup work, financial exposure and evidence available. Do not assume theBuildd or another company offers a particular pause right unless it is in the accepted terms.
9. What evidence will settle the buying decision?
Request an example of the handoff and reporting, with personal information removed. If a case study matters, ask whether its trade, period, source spend and outcome definitions resemble your purchase. Do not turn one customer’s results into your expected close rate.
Choose a limited test with a named follow-up owner. Record inquiries, reached homeowners, scope fit, bookings, held estimates, proposals and completed work. Use the cost per booked job guide to calculate costs without changing the denominator between sources.
The lead-generation trial checklist turns those stages into a pre-test scorecard. Save the offer and acceptance rules before delivery starts so the final review does not redefine success around the result.
Put the offer beside your actual capacity
Before paying, identify who answers, how many estimates the team can attend and what work the crew can perform. A provider may supply the product it promised while your office lacks capacity to turn it into useful work. Use the lead-capacity worksheet to size the next purchase from actual staffed stages.
theBuildd pricing, checked 23 September 2026, lists a $300 trial for 4-7 opt-ins, $800 weekly and monthly plans from $3,000. Compare that offer only after confirming trade, ZIP availability and who makes the qualifying call.
Bring this checklist to a theBuildd fit conversation. The outcome should be a clear written understanding of the scope, cost, handoff and terms before choosing a plan.