How to Buy Energy Leads Without Wasting Money

Most bad lead buys start before the order

We talk to a lot of energy sales managers who got burned by a lead vendor. Sometimes the data really was junk. But more often the file was fine. It just wasn't the right file for that team.

A list of homeowners in Ohio isn't much use if your supplier is only approved in Duke Energy territory and half the list is AEP. So before you look at prices or vendors, get clear on what you actually need. It'll save you money and a few awkward conversations with your reps.

Step 1: Write down where you're allowed to sell

Start with your supplier contract or your broker agreement, not a map. You want the exact utilities you're approved in, and whether that's for electric, gas or both. Being approved in a state almost never means being approved everywhere in it. If you're not sure which states are open at all, start with our list of deregulated energy states.

In Texas, think of the wires company (Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, TNMP) instead of the retail provider on the bill. That's what decides whether you can sell at an address.

Step 2: Decide who you're selling to

Residential and small commercial leads are different buys. A household decides at the kitchen table. A business owner might need to check with a partner or a landlord, and the bill can be in a company name.

If your team has only ever pitched homeowners, don't start with a big commercial order. Try a small batch first and see how your reps handle it.

Step 3: Match the file to how you sell

Phone teams care most about the phone number and what's been removed before it hits the dialer. Door-to-door teams care about the address, city and ZIP, because that's how routes get built. If you do both, make sure every record has both.

Ask what format the file comes in, too. If it's a messy CSV your team has to fix by hand before every shift, that time costs you money.

Questions worth asking any vendor

You don't need a long list. These cover most of it:

• Can I see a sample file with the real columns? (Here's what's in a consumer energy lead, so you know what to look for.)
• Is every lead tagged with its utility, and can I order by utility?
• Does each lead say electric, gas or both?
• What comes out before I get the file? Do Not Call numbers? My own suppression list?
• Will I ever be sent the same lead twice?
• Can I start small and order more of what works?

Red flags

A vendor who won't show you a sample. Anyone who promises a set number of sales, or says their data is 100% accurate. No lead file is. People move, change numbers and switch suppliers every week.

Watch for Texas files that only list retail brand names. And be careful with anyone who says they've scrubbed for you so you don't need to think about the rules. The calling and knocking rules are on you, whoever sells you the list.

Start small and keep score

The smartest buyers we work with order a test batch, give it to two or three of their better reps, and track a few simple numbers: how many people they reached, how many good conversations they had, and how many sales closed. A week of that tells you more than any sales pitch, ours included. If you're weighing a cheaper older list against a newer one, we wrote up aged vs. fresh energy leads too.

If the numbers hold up, scale the utilities that worked. If one territory falls flat, drop it. It's your budget, so let the results decide.

How ordering works with us

Tell us your states, utilities, commodity and lead type. We'll set up your client portal, take out numbers on our Do Not Call list and anything on your suppression list, and keep a record of every lead we've sent you so you never get the same one twice. You can grab a free sample file from our Services page first if you'd like to see the columns.