Solar lead buying terms, explained plainly.
The short version
Eight words decide whether a lead pack makes you money: exclusive, real-time, verified, lead or appointment, and refund, replacement or credit. Providers use all of them loosely. The fix is to ask for each one as a sentence in the contract, and the table below gives you those sentences.
The twelve terms, and the sentence to ask for
| Term | What it should mean | Wording to ask for in the contract |
|---|---|---|
| Exclusive | Sold to you and nobody else, now or later. | 'Each lead is sold to one buyer only, is not resold, and is not re-marketed to any other installer.' |
| Shared | Sent to 2 to 5 installers at once. You race to the phone and quote against everyone who got it. | 'State the maximum number of buyers per lead and the order of delivery.' |
| Real-time | Delivered within seconds of the homeowner submitting, not in a batch. | 'Each lead carries a delivery timestamp; delivery occurs within 60 seconds of submission.' |
| Verified | Anything from a phone-format check to a two-factor mobile and email confirmation before the form submits. | 'Describe the verification step and what happens to a lead that fails it.' |
| Lead | A homeowner who asked for contact. You call, qualify and book. | 'Define the data fields delivered: name, mobile, email, suburb, bill size, ownership, roof type.' |
| Appointment | A homeowner already booked into a slot with your business by the provider's setters. Carries a sit rate. | 'Define a sat appointment and the price for one that does not sit.' |
| Contact rate | Share of leads you actually speak to. Driven by verification quality and how fast you call. | 'Report contact rate by lead source monthly.' |
| Replacement | A bad lead swapped for another lead. Read what counts as bad, and the window to claim. | 'List the disqualifying conditions and the claim window in days.' |
| Credit | Money kept with the provider against future leads. Not a refund. | 'State whether credits expire and whether they are refundable on exit.' |
| Refund | Money returned to you. The only guarantee that costs the provider anything. | 'State the trigger, the amount and the timeframe for payment.' |
| Minimum order | The smallest pack or monthly spend the provider will sell. | 'State the minimum in leads and dollars, and whether it applies after month one.' |
| Lock-in | A fixed term, a notice period or a setup fee that makes stopping expensive. | 'State the notice period to pause or cancel, in days, and any fee.' |
Lead versus appointment: compare cost per sat meeting
An appointment costs more per unit because a setter has already done your first call. The number that matters is the sit rate: the share of booked meetings that actually happen. A $150 appointment with a 60% sit rate costs $250 per meeting you attend. A $60 lead with a 38% lead-to-appointment rate costs about $158 per meeting you book yourself, plus your setter's time. Ask any appointment provider for their sit rate in writing, and for the price of an appointment that does not sit.
Refund, replacement, credit: read which one it is
A replacement costs the provider one more lead from a pool they already have. A credit costs them nothing until you buy again. A refund costs them cash, which is why it is rare and why it is the only guarantee worth weighting. Then read the trigger. “Bad number” is narrow. “Did not close” is broad. Most guarantees are the narrow kind with a 24 to 72 hour claim window.
Six questions before you pay anyone
1. Is each lead sold to one buyer, and is it ever re-marketed? 2. What verification happens before delivery, and what fails it? 3. What is the delivery timestamp on each lead? 4. Which fields are delivered? 5. Is the guarantee a refund, a replacement or a credit, and what triggers it? 6. What is the notice period to pause or stop, and is there a minimum after month one?
For what these leads should cost, read solar lead costs in Australia. For the conversion maths behind a fair price, read solar lead conversion benchmarks. For the rules on calling the leads you buy, read solar lead compliance in Australia.
Frequently asked questions
What does an exclusive solar lead mean?
A lead sold to one installer only, never resold to a second buyer and never re-marketed to another installer later. Ask for that in writing: 'sold to one buyer, not resold, not re-marketed'. A shared lead goes to 2 to 5 installers at once. Capital Leads sells exclusive leads only.
What is the difference between a solar lead and a solar appointment?
A lead is a homeowner who has asked for contact and whose details are delivered to you. You make the call and book the meeting. An appointment is a homeowner already booked into a time slot with your business by the provider's setters. Appointments cost more per unit and carry a sit rate, the share that actually happen, so compare cost per sat appointment, not cost per unit.
What does a verified solar lead mean?
It depends on the provider. The weakest form is a syntax check on the phone number. A single SMS code proves the phone was live once. Two-factor verification, which Capital Leads uses, confirms both the mobile and the email before the form can submit, so a fake or mistyped number never reaches you.
What does real-time lead delivery mean?
The lead reaches your CRM, phone or inbox within seconds of the homeowner submitting, rather than in a daily batch. Ask for the delivery timestamp on each lead so you can measure your own speed to call. Capital Leads delivers into your CRM in about 1.4 seconds and sends the homeowner a personalised SMS in your name.
Refund, replacement or credit: what should a solar lead provider offer?
A replacement swaps a bad lead for another lead. A credit keeps your money with the provider. A refund returns it. Read which one the guarantee actually is, and what counts as bad. Capital Leads prevents duds with two-factor verification rather than replacing them afterwards, and refunds your first pack if you close zero sales from it.
Do solar lead providers require contracts, minimum orders or deposits?
Many do: fixed monthly commitments, minimum packs, setup fees or notice periods to pause. Ask for the pause and cancel terms in writing before you pay. Capital Leads is pay per lead with no lock-in and no setup fee.
How much do exclusive solar leads cost in Australia?
Capital Leads pricing starts from $45 a lead in some metro areas and moves with state, density and lead type. Across partners the cost per install lands between $500 and $1,600 depending on area, density and close rate. The per-lead sticker matters less than cost per install, which is why the ROI calculator on the buy-leads guide works from close rate, not lead price.
Exclusive solar leads, 2FA verified. No fakes, ever.
Tell us your state, your postcodes, and how many jobs a week you want. We will show you live pricing and territory availability before you spend a cent.
Written by the Capital Leads team, who build exclusive lead flows for solar installers in every Australian state. Updated July 2026.