Glossary
The lead generation glossary.
Buying leads comes with its own vocabulary. Here is every term that matters, in plain English — so you know exactly what you are paying for and how to compare providers.
Lead basics
Lead basics, defined.
Lead
A lead is a person or business that has shown interest in what you sell and shared their contact details so you can follow up. In a marketplace like AceLeads, a lead is a real, consented enquiry — not a scraped contact.
Qualified lead
A qualified lead is an enquiry that meets your criteria — the right product, budget, location and buying intent — and has been checked for valid contact details. Qualification is what separates a ready-to-buy enquiry from a random form fill.
High-intent lead
A high-intent lead is someone actively looking to buy now, not just browsing. They have described what they want and expect to be contacted, so they convert faster than cold prospects.
First-party lead
A first-party lead is captured directly from the person who enquired, with their consent, rather than bought from a third-party list. First-party leads are fresher, more accurate and compliant under UK GDPR and PECR.
B2B lead vs consumer lead
A B2B lead is an enquiry from a business buyer (e.g. a company needing fleet vehicles); a consumer lead is from an individual (e.g. a driver renting a car). AceLeads supplies both, and you filter for the type you want.
Exclusivity & matching
Exclusivity & matching, defined.
Exclusive lead
An exclusive lead is sold to one buyer only. Because you are the only business contacting that customer, exclusive leads convert best — there is no race on price or speed.
Lead matching
Lead matching is scoring each new enquiry against your criteria — industry, region, budget and lead type — and routing only the leads that fit. It means you review relevant leads instead of sifting everything.
Lead scoring
Lead scoring ranks leads by how well they fit your criteria and how strong their buying signals are, so you can prioritise the ones most likely to convert.
Lead validation
Lead validation is checking a lead is genuine before it reaches you — verifying the contact details are real and the enquiry is consented. It reduces wasted calls on fake or mistyped submissions.
Speed to lead
Speed to lead is how quickly you contact a new enquiry. Response within minutes dramatically increases conversion, which is why AceLeads notifies you in real time when a matching lead arrives.
Pricing & models
Pricing & models, defined.
Finder's fee
A finder's fee is a success fee paid only when a reserved lead turns into real business. AceLeads works this way — reserve leads for free and pay the agreed fee only when one becomes a customer, so there is no upfront risk.
Pay-per-lead
Pay-per-lead means you pay a set price for each lead you receive, whether or not it converts. It is simple but puts the conversion risk on you, unlike a pay-on-results finder-fee model.
Cost per lead (CPL)
Cost per lead (CPL) is the average amount you pay for one lead. To judge value, compare CPL against how many leads convert and the revenue each customer brings — a higher CPL can be cheaper overall if the leads convert.
Cost per acquisition (CPA)
Cost per acquisition (CPA) is what it costs to win one paying customer, not just one lead. If 1 in 4 leads converts at £20 each, your CPA is £80. CPA is the number that actually tells you if leads are profitable.
Return on investment (ROI)
Lead ROI is the revenue a batch of leads generates divided by what you spent on them. Tracking lead → contact → quote → sale → revenue (rather than just lead volume) is the only reliable way to measure it.
Vehicle-sector terms
Vehicle-sector terms, defined.
Vehicle rental lead
A vehicle rental lead is a consumer or business enquiry from someone actively looking to rent or flexibly hire a car or van, usually short to medium term. A good rental lead includes contact details, vehicle type, rental timeframe, location and budget.
Vehicle leasing lead
A vehicle leasing lead is an enquiry from a driver or business looking to lease a car or van over a longer contract (typically 24–48 months). It usually includes vehicle preference, monthly budget, term and, where relevant, credit profile.
All-credit-considered lead
An all-credit-considered lead is a driver who expects to be matched with providers that work across a range of credit profiles, including adverse credit. Buyers can filter for the credit profiles they accept.