Agency Pricing · November 2025
Lead Gen Agency Pricing: Why You Should Always Get 3 Quotes
Lead gen agencies quoted this business $100 to $5,000/month. Here's what changed the price. Pricing varies wildly in this industry, often for the exact same goals. We break down the three main pricing models—Traditional Retainer, Hybrid, and Performance-Only—so you can evaluate agencies properly.
The 3 Pricing Models Explained
1. Traditional Retainer
$5,000/mo
- ✓ Dedicated account manager
- ✓ Ongoing optimization
- ✕ High upfront cost
- ✕ Agency gets paid regardless of results
2. Hybrid Model
$3k/mo + $100/lead
- ✓ Best risk/reward balance
- ✓ Agency incentivized to perform
- ✓ Shared risk
- ⚠ Variable monthly costs
3. Performance-Only
$100/closed deal
- ✓ Zero upfront cost
- ✓ No waste
- ✕ Often low priority for agency
- ✕ Misaligned incentives (volume vs quality)
How to Vet Agencies (Killer Questions)
Don't just ask "How much?"—probe for proof they'll actually deliver non-garbage leads. Ask these 9 questions:
- "How many leads did your worst-performing client get last month—and what niche were they in?"
- "Show me the last 10 booked appointments: business name, date, and a call recording snippet."
- "What's your replacement policy for fake/no-show leads? (E.g., 1:1 swap within 24h?)"
- "Do you use incentives like gift cards to book calls? If yes, how do you ensure quality?"
- "Break down your sourcing: % from Google Maps vs. Facebook vs. cold outbound?"
- "What's the avg. close rate on your leads for [my niche]?"
- "Can I see a sample lead flow dashboard before signing?"
- "How do you handle churn—e.g., if leads dry up after month 1?"
- "Refund policy if we hit <80% of promised volume in week 4?"
Red Flags (Run Immediately)
⚠We guarantee X leads per month (Lie)
⚠Pay-per-lead with no minimum (Low quality)
⚠We'll beat any competitor's results (Vague)
⚠PPL under $80 for competitive services (Junk)
⚠Proprietary scraping secret sauce (Black hat)
⚠Results in 30 days or money back (Fine print)
⚠Dodging call recordings (Privacy excuse)
Stop Overpaying for Bad Leads
Get 3 quotes from different agencies. Compare pricing models, not just price. Or talk to us about our transparent Hybrid Model.