Comparison
Shared vs exclusive moving leads: which costs less per booked move?
Price per lead is the number providers advertise. Cost per booked move is the number that decides whether you make money. Here is how the lead types compare on both.
By the MoveLead team · Published
The short answer
A shared moving lead goes to up to four movers and costs $15 for a local move at MoveLead; an exclusive lead goes to one mover and costs $45. Shared leads cost less per lead but convert lower, because you race three competitors to the phone. Exclusive leads cost more but the customer only hears from you. The right choice depends on how fast your team calls back, not on the sticker price.
What is a shared moving lead?
A shared moving lead is a verified quote request sold to more than one moving company at the same time. At MoveLead a standard shared lead goes to up to four movers for $15 local or $20 long-distance, and a two-mover tier goes to only two companies for $28 local or $38 long-distance. The customer expects several calls; the first good one usually wins.
What is an exclusive moving lead?
An exclusive moving lead is sold to one moving company only and is never resold. At MoveLead an exclusive lead is $45 local or $85 long-distance. You are the only mover with the customer's number, so the first call is a conversation rather than a race, and your quote is judged on its merits instead of its timing.
What is a live transfer moving lead?
A live transfer is an exclusive lead where the customer is already on the phone: a MoveLead agent verifies the request and connects the call straight to your line. Live transfers are $60 local or $100 long-distance. There is no callback at all, which is the point — and also the risk, because a transfer nobody answers is money gone.
Side by side
| Lead type | Local / long-distance price | Movers who receive it | Callback you need | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared (up to 4 movers) | $15 / $20 | Up to 4 | Under 5 minutes | Fast teams that want the lowest cost per lead and the most conversations |
| Shared (2 movers) | $28 / $38 | 2 | Within the hour | Teams that call quickly but not instantly |
| Exclusive | $45 / $85 | 1 — you | Same or next day | Companies competing on service, or quoting between jobs |
| Live transfer | $60 / $100 | 1 — you, live | None — you answer the transfer | Teams with someone on the phone all day |
MoveLead lead types compared. Prices are published rates and are the same in every state.
Cost per booked move: the only number that matters
Cost per booked move is the lead price divided by your close rate. That single division is what turns a cheap lead into an expensive one, or the reverse. The table below is an illustration using assumed close rates — it is not measured data, and the whole point of it is that your own close rates after 30 days replace these.
| Lead type | Price (local) | Assumed close rate | Leads per booked move | Cost per booked move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared, up to 4 | $15 | 1 in 8 (12.5%) | 8 | $120 |
| Shared, 2 movers | $28 | 1 in 5 (20%) | 5 | $140 |
| Exclusive | $45 | 1 in 3 (33%) | 3 | $135 |
| Live transfer | $60 | 1 in 2.5 (40%) | 2.5 | $150 |
Illustrative cost per booked move at assumed close rates. Replace the close rates with your own.
At those assumptions the four tiers land within $30 of each other, against an average local job of $1,489 (This Old House, 2025 survey). What separates them in practice is the callback. The Lead Response Management study found the odds of qualifying a lead fall 21-fold between a 5-minute and a 30-minute response (Lead Response Management study) — so a shared close rate of 1 in 8 belongs to a team that calls in minutes. Quote the next morning and that same shared lead has usually been booked by one of the other three movers, while the exclusive lead is still waiting for you.
When shared leads win
- You have someone whose job is to answer the phone and call leads back, and they do it within five minutes most of the day.
- You want the most conversations per dollar while you learn your close rate and refine your pitch.
- You compete on speed and price rather than on a premium service story.
When exclusive leads win
- Quotes go out the same day or the next day, not within minutes.
- You sell on service, packing, insurance or reputation, and need the customer to hear that pitch before a cheaper competitor's number.
- Your average job value is high enough that one extra booked move pays for many leads — long-distance and full-service movers especially.
When live transfers win
- Someone is on the phone during business hours every day, including the 4 to 6 PM window when contact rates peak.
- Your closers are better on a live call than on a callback.
- You want to eliminate the callback problem rather than manage it.
How to find out in 30 days
- Buy shared leads at $15 for two weeks in your core service area. Log the minutes from delivery to first call attempt, and whether the move was booked.
- Switch the same budget to exclusive at $45 for the next two weeks. Log the same two things.
- Divide spend by booked moves for each fortnight. Whichever is lower is your lead type — for now. Recheck whenever the person answering the phone changes.
- There is no contract, so moving budget between tiers is a message, not a negotiation. See pricing.
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Sources
- 1.Lead Response Management Study, InsideSales.com with Prof. James Oldroyd (MIT). Three years of data, six companies, over 15,000 leads. Checked .
- 2.Moving Costs (2026 Guide), This Old House, 2025 survey of 1,000 moving customers. Average local and long-distance move cost. Checked .