The metric that misleads everyone
Cost per lead is the easiest number to compare and the least useful. A source at a fraction of a cent per record and a source at hundreds of dollars per transfer can produce identical cost per funded deal. Comparing the input price tells you nothing about the output.
Build the actual chain
Records purchased, deliverable rate, reply rate, qualified rate, application rate, submission rate, approval rate, funded rate, average commission. Every source has different numbers at every stage. Only the end of the chain is comparable.
Follow-up discipline swamps data quality
The difference between a one-touch and a seven-touch sequence on the same file is usually larger than the difference between two data vendors. Before you change suppliers, check whether you are actually working the data you have.
Track by cohort, not by month
Records bought in March produce funded deals in May. Blending everything into a monthly number hides which purchase actually performed. Tag every record with its source and pull date and report on the cohort.
Give a source enough volume to read
Judging a data source on a small test with one email is a coin flip dressed as a decision. Run enough volume through a full sequence before concluding anything.
Published 2026-06-10 · MCA Email Leads
