Lead Pricing
Lead pricing is the per-record cost of acquiring MCA leads — varying by source type, freshness, exclusivity, and intent strength — typically expressed as cost-per-lead (CPL) but evaluated economically as cost-per-funded-deal (CPF) after conversion math.
Why This Matters
Sticker price misleads. A $5 lead with 0.5% conversion costs $1,000 per funded deal. A $50 lead with 10% conversion costs $500 per funded deal. The $50 lead is half as expensive in actual unit economics despite being 10x the per-record cost. CPF (cost-per-funded) is the only meaningful comparison metric across lead sources. Top shops maintain CPF tracking per source, per vintage, per rep — rebalancing spend toward highest-ROI sources monthly. Lead pricing optimization is one of the highest-ROI activities in MCA operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the typical CPF for MCA leads?
Healthy MCA shops operate at $300-$1,500 cost-per-funded-deal across blended sources. Premium pre-qualified channels can run $2,000-$4,000 CPF but with corresponding deal-size lift. CPF below $300 typically indicates very high-volume, low-touch operations or proprietary data advantages.
How do I calculate CPF correctly?
Total spend on a lead source ÷ number of funded deals attributed to that source over the same period. Include all costs: lead spend, dialer costs, vendor fees. Attribute funded deals back to original lead source even if multiple touches occurred. Refresh monthly with rolling 90-day windows.