How do I buy leads in Australia?

How do I buy leads in Australia?

So you want to know how to buy leads in Australia.  It’s likely that your end goal is to connect with potential customers who have identified a need for your offering.  Ideally they will also be interested in buying the type of products or services you offer in the near-term.

Buying leads can save time and effort when building campaign scale, providing you with a ready list of prospects to target. It’s a shortcut to expanding your customer base and driving sales.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure you make the most of your investment.  On this page we will focus on consumer leads generation.  The processes used for generating business leads is quite different and you can learn more about this here.

The 2 categories of leads that you can buy.

Chances are you already generate your own leads and are looking to build scale to your campaign or you are considering setting up a program for yourself.

When considering buying leads, you will need to consider the skills of your team and any call centre partners you work with in dealing with individuals at various phases in their buying journey.  Next you should map the strengths and scale of your marketing and sales program to the leads you are looking to acquire.

Marketing qualified leads:

A marketing qualified lead (MQL) is someone that wants to know more about the type of product or service that you offer, but is early on in their buying journey. Chances are that they are at the beginning of their buying process. We call this the “awareness phase.” They may have established they have a challenge to overcome and are wondering how it could be solved. They are not ready to look at the ins and outs of competing solutions yet, as they are really trying to understand how to solve the challenge.

Let’s look at the example of someone in a buyer journey that may end up with them moving into a retirement home.  They might have started by looking for more ways to feel secure in their home or to reduce the burden of household chores. By providing related content on how to solve the challenge in various way, for hiring help or moving into a retirement living community, the marketer can generate “top of funnel” leads.  They may need to review a few articles and conduct more research before they are ready to speak to a salesperson.  By gathering marketing qualified leads, you are able to start a conversation about your offering before the individual even considers your competitors.  Additionally, you will build trust by educating them around their options without “hard-selling.”

Sales qualified leads:

A sales qualified lead (SQL) is someone that has asked you to get in touch to discuss your offering and their requirements.  They are ready to speak to your sales team.  They are further along the buying process, usually in the “consideration phase” of the buying process and from a marketing standpoint, they are “mid-funnel.”  Chances are that they are interested in comparing you to competing offers and have already started to build a shortlist of their needs.  Let’s use take the example of retirement living lead generation again.  The prospect probably knows they are interested in moving to a community.  Furthermore, they are interested in understanding the facilities, services, accomodation and entertainment you have to offer.  Questions around these points would often be referred to as “buying questions,” as they demonstrate the individual is in market for your offering.

Key steps to buying leads in Australia

1. 1. 1. Define your target audience
         Start by identifying your ideal customers. Ask yourself who your most profitable customers are today.  Consider factors such as age, location, interests, industry, and purchasing behaviour. This ensures you purchase leads that align with your business goals.  If you have not gathered data that will assist with this step, you may find that customer profiling will assist you in reducing lead generation wastage.  It is equally important to ask who would not qualify as a good lead.  For example, if you are purchasing leads for a solar installation business, it would be ideal to qualify out home renters before you start paying for leads.
      2. Set a budget
         Determine how much you’re willing to spend and calculate the potential return on investment (ROI). For example, you could calculate the average income from a new customer in year one and decide what portion of this you are happy to assign to marketing budget when converting leads.  Pricing will vary depending on targeting, lead quality and volume, so choose a plan that suits your needs and your team.
      3. Check lead quality
         Ensure the leads will be accurate, up-to-date, and relevant to your industry.  Ask if the lead provider can live-reject duplicate leads, how they verify lead quality and if they have methods to qualify out low quality leads.  Poor-quality leads can waste your resources and tarnish your reputation.
      4. Understand legal compliance
         Comply with Australian privacy laws, such as the Privacy Act, and ensure any leads you purchase adhere to GDPR standards if applicable. Unlawful use of personal data can result in hefty fines.  You can check out our handy Privacy explainer here.  This was built to assist the Australian fundraising sector to understand compliance, in partnership with the FIA and PFRA.  You may also need to understand SPAM, DNCR and industry-specific legislations.
      5. Ensure you are geared to deal with the quantity and quality of leads you will generate
         Sales readiness is absolutely key if you are purchasing sales qualified leads.  For example, your sales team may be used to speaking with people that have searched for you online or personal referrals.  In this case, they may need some education and training before being introduced to purchased leads.  At the very least, they will need to have their expectations managed.  If you are considering outsourcing sales to an external call centre, you may also find this article of interest.
      6. Defining your call to action
         When building a lead hook, you will need to consider why your customers buy from you.  It will be ideal to have a hook that links to your core offering.  For marketing qualified lead generation, you may wish to consider a value-exchange.  This could be as simple as an offer for free information regarding ways to solve the problem you can assist with.  You could also consider a time-based offer for a free information evening or a free trial to your service.  Make sure that the offer is tied to a genuine interest in your offering.  A lead generator that suggests a free draw for an unrelated prize is likely to generate low quality leads that really only wanted to win something.
      7. Consider a multi-channel approach
         Even in the sales qualified lead space, not every lead will pick up when you try to call them.  Some won’t answer even if you make multiple attempts over several days at different times of day. Therefore, consider text messages, emails and even social media ads as part of your journey.  This may engage the lead and help to build the trust to answer the telephone or purchase online.

3 key tips to avoid wasting the leads you purchase:

• Follow up quickly: Contact leads as soon as possible, while their interest is fresh.
• Personalise your approach: Tailor your communication to address the specific needs of each lead.
• Monitor results: Track your campaigns and adjust strategies based on performance.

Consider a lead generation agency partner

Navigating all of the lead generation options in market can be a real challenge. Some providers may provide non-exclusive leads without managing your expectations. Furthermore, overseas providers often operate in Australia without truly understanding compliance. An onshore lead generation provider, like Dataphoria, should assist you with these challenges.  Benefits would include gaining an understanding of which sources are most appropriate for your needs.  You could also request compliance warranties or evidence of a process to audit of each lead source for compliance.

Check reviews, testimonials, and case studies to verify the quality of their leads. The right agency will also leverage sophisticated lead generation software, to enable lead standardisation, live rejection of duplicates and transparent billing.  Dataphoria offer these services as well as sales and marketing advice and a range of automated multi-channel lead generation journeys.

Conclusion

Buying leads in Australia can accelerate your business growth when done correctly. Focus on quality over quantity, ensure compliance with legal standards, and choose reputable providers for the best results. By following these steps, you can confidently invest in lead generation to achieve your sales goals.

Key lead generation questions to ask