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Why is this lead gen marketer receiving so many complaints?

by Goalie35
6 replies
I'm looking into offering lead generation marketing as one of my services, so I decided to research some other local marketers in my area, who are also offering this service. So I entered the business name of a marketer and a lot of "ripoff" & complaint sites came up. Here he is on RipoffReport.com: Ripoff Report | metro marketing directory of Complaints & Reviews

In particular, the doctor in this complaint seems to break it down pretty well: Ripoff Report | Metro Marketing Complaint Review N Howell, New Jersey: 807320

His biggest issue seems to be that he's unable to deliver QUALITY leads. Is providing quality leads a problem with lead generation marketing in general or is he doing something wrong? His business seems to be about calling potential leads & offering a free deal (free spinal screening from a chiropractor, for example). But he just seems to have a TON of bad complaints about the quality of his leads.

Is cold calling a terrible way to generate leads? Just curious because I'm trying to determine what methods to use for my own lead gen. Currently, I'm setting up landing pages & ads on craigslist, but I thought cold calling may be another decent approach...perhaps not.

Thanks
#complaints #gen #generation #lead #marketer #marketing #receiving
  • Profile picture of the author chaotic squid
    The company is receiving numerous complaints because they have bad business practices. If you offer lead generation, you have to be generating qualified leads.

    People with no business sense usually have the mindset that more is better. In this case, the lead gen company flooded their office with essentially homeless people from the wrong part of town (wrong zip code) which was a big part of the dispute.

    I would be pissed too if I was targeting a nicer part of town with people who have insurance, but got nothing but poor homeless people instead. Anybody can go down to the ghetto and pass out flyers or cold call for free chiropractic check-ups and get a massive response rate.

    Cold calling works amazing......if you do it right. Do NOT mindlessly call from a list with a generic script. You have to really understand who the person is on the other line and personalize that phone call to them. If you're too salesy you'll get resistance. Put their needs ahead of your own and it can work wonders.
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  • Profile picture of the author internetmarketer1
    Selling leads is a great business. No doubt....but the problem is that people do expect qualified leads of real people. This isn't going to benefit you or the client if the leads you are giving isn't a good investment on their part. It will just ruin your chances of a business that is going to flourish.

    Bad leads are only going to bite the seller of the leads back if the leads aren't targeted in any way. I agree with the post above me.
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  • Profile picture of the author bsummers
    A bad lead is not a qualified lead. As a marketer/lead generator, you should ask the right questions to make sure that the prospect is really interested. The thing is some lead generation companies pass half-baked leads because they are only after of the quantity rather than quality.

    For me cold calling is the best way to generate leads. The important thing to remember when calling is to have a good list, script and caller.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    Bad lead versus Good lead = very subjective and can mean one thing to one person and another thing to another person.

    This is where lead gen services run into trouble.

    I see it ALL the time with Roofing contractors! For some reason they expect that every single lead they get should be waiting out on the sidewalk with a pen in their hand ready to sign the contract and that constitutes a good lead.

    Of course I'm being a little sarcastic but the point is most business owners have their own idea of what a "GOOD" lead is and that doesn't always match up with what a lead gen company can actually provide.

    Now I'm not defending the company in the Rippoff report because it's obvious they have some shady business practices "IF" the complaints are valid.

    A lead is just that a lead, it's up the business receiving the lead to find ways to qualify them further and either make the sale or not.

    Instead what most businesses do is just blame the lead company and claim that all the leads are bad instead of examining their own sales process and taking responsibility for their own short comings.
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    • Profile picture of the author CynthiaC
      I agree with Rus - I think this quote from a client best sums it up.

      "Well if I'm going to pay $35 for a lead they better BUY something"

      You can send golden leads, all of them gone through specific qualifying criteria but if the ding-a-ling who buys the lead has a twit for a receptionist and a moron nephew doing the sales...

      You will be the one who gets blamed for their failure to convert that lead.

      The best way I can suggest to CYA is to have an agreement that must be signed by your client which includes:

      1. specifics of what a "qualified" lead is
      2. the service is to provide "qualified" leads and no guarantee of sales or demand for their product.

      This way you set up your qualifying process and can prove they all pass the test in the event of a complaint.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      Have experience with leads from Yodle. They call every phone call a lead, even after being informed otherwise.

      The owner's wife calling the number to find out who the heck is using her husband's company name with the wrong number was not a lead.

      Telemarketers were not leads.

      They were called leads.

      They have a rating system. You'd think that after rating telemarketing calls as bad leads, they'd stop calling them leads. They did not.

      It gets tricky when your company doesn't do / or you don't want leads for / something that is common in your industry... Say, you don't want people who're looking for patios but you want people who're looking for new or to repair driveways... Or when you want to install brand new only, don't care to repair.





      And it
      Originally Posted by Rus Sells View Post

      Bad lead versus Good lead = very subjective and can mean one thing to one person and another thing to another person.

      This is where lead gen services run into trouble.

      I see it ALL the time with Roofing contractors! For some reason they expect that every single lead they get should be waiting out on the sidewalk with a pen in their hand ready to sign the contract and that constitutes a good lead.

      Of course I'm being a little sarcastic but the point is most business owners have their own idea of what a "GOOD" lead is and that doesn't always match up with what a lead gen company can actually provide.

      Now I'm not defending the company in the Rippoff report because it's obvious they have some shady business practices "IF" the complaints are valid.

      A lead is just that a lead, it's up the business receiving the lead to find ways to qualify them further and either make the sale or not.

      Instead what most businesses do is just blame the lead company and claim that all the leads are bad instead of examining their own sales process and taking responsibility for their own short comings.
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