MCA leads: the types, how to judge a vendor, and how to work them

Live transfers convert best and cost the most per lead, and they only work if a closer is free the moment the call comes. Exclusive web leads are the backbone of most shops that buy leads, as long as someone calls fast; see speed to lead. Shared leads look cheap until you count the dials. Aged leads are a volume game: lower contact rates, but some merchants who were not ready three months ago are ready now. UCC leads come from public lien filings, which tell you a business has financing against its receivables and roughly when, which is why they are used for renewals and consolidations. Treat UCC data as a starting list, not a sign of interest: these merchants did not ask you to call.

Ask every vendor the same questions, in writing, before you buy more than a test batch:

1. How were these leads collected? The form, the ad that led to it, and the date. Ask to see the actual page.
2. What consent did the merchant give, and does it cover my company? Ask for the consent text and the record for a sample of leads (time stamp, page, IP address). If the vendor cannot produce it, you are the one calling without consent.
3. Exclusive or shared, and with how many buyers?
4. How old is a lead when I receive it? For web leads, minutes; for aged, the original date.
5. What is the credit policy? Disconnected numbers, duplicates and fake entries should be replaced or credited.
6. How are leads delivered? Real time into your system, or a daily spreadsheet. A lead delivered tomorrow morning is an aged lead.

Then buy a small batch, work it exactly as you would at scale for two to four weeks, and judge it on funded deals, not on how the first few calls felt.

Cost per lead is the vendor's number. The numbers that matter to you are what each funded deal cost to get and what it paid:

cost per funded deal = lead spend on the source / deals funded from it
source ROI = (commission received from the source - lead spend) / lead spend

This only works if every lead keeps its source from import to funding. In our CRM each lead carries its source, sources carry their cost, and the lead source report shows leads, cost, deals funded, funded volume, commission expected and received, cost per funded deal and ROI by source (on the Pro plan or as the advanced reports add-on). The ISO commission calculator helps you work out what a funded deal is worth before you set a lead budget.

• Import with the source and dedupe. The same merchant often turns up from two vendors. Skip duplicates on import so two reps do not call the same owner, and so the source report credits the first source.
• Route before you dial. Live transfers to whoever is free, web leads round robin or to the rep who owns the source, aged lists to reps who work volume.
• Set a cadence by type. Web leads: call within minutes, then several attempts over the first two days. Aged: a slower, longer cadence. UCC: fewer, more relevant offers.
• Get statements early. A lead is a lead until you have three to six months of bank statements. Ask on the first call, or send an application link that collects them.
• Stop calling when asked. Record do-not-contact requests where every rep will see them, and honor them across every list you buy.

Under the FCC's Telephone Consumer Protection Act rules, autodialed or prerecorded marketing calls and texts to a cell phone need prior express written consent: a signed agreement that clearly authorizes the seller to send them. The Ninth Circuit has held that this covers business owners' cell phones. Telephone solicitations are limited to 8am to 9pm at the called party's location, and a request to stop made by any reasonable means has to be honored within ten business days.

Consent covers whoever the merchant agreed could contact them, which is why the vendor's consent language matters. A 2023 FCC rule that would have limited each consent to one seller at a time was vacated by the Eleventh Circuit in January 2025, but the consent still has to clearly authorize your company. The FTC's Do Not Call rules generally exempt calls to businesses, but the Registry and the FCC's own rules protect personal and residential lines, and a small-business owner's cell phone is often both. Several states add their own calling and texting laws. If your shop texts, budget time with counsel.