An exclusive lead goes to one buyer within a provider for a given project. A shared lead goes to several buyers. Neither label tells you whether the prospect also contacted other companies on their own.
Two distribution models
Lead distribution describes how many buyers receive the same request from the same provider. It says nothing about the request’s quality, which depends on the qualification fields, the checks performed and the source.
| — | Exclusive | Shared |
|---|---|---|
| Buyers receiving the request from the provider | One | Several, up to a stated limit |
| Typical effect on response pressure | Lower speed race between buyers | Speed to call often decides |
| Unit price logic | Higher per request | Lower per request, split across buyers |
| What it does not guarantee | That the prospect contacted no one else | That the cap is respected unless documented |
What “exclusive” should mean in writing
Ask the provider to define exclusivity in the agreement. A useful definition names the scope (one buyer within the provider), the object (the stated project), and the period during which the same request will not be sold again.
- Is exclusivity per project, per person or per territory?
- Can the request be resold after a period, or to another vertical?
- What happens if the same person submits a second, distinct project?
- How are duplicates detected, and over which window?
At Vectent, launch products are delivered to one buyer within Vectent for the stated project, with no territorial exclusivity and no downstream resale by default. Vectent does not sell shared or aged leads at launch.
Buyer checklist
- Get the distribution rule in writing.
- Ask which fields are self-reported and which are checked.
- Ask for the capture, qualification and delivery timestamps on each record.
- Ask how permission records are kept by channel and recipient.
- Read the review policy: window, valid reasons and credit decisions.