As I've done before, I asked him if he'd like to compete against my 10-year-old daughter (pictured) as an opportunity for him to prove the 'effectiveness' of his costly service against something my daughter could do in 10 minutes. He'd have two hours. He initially agreed but later declined. Honestly, I don't blame him for not wanting to expose his illegitimate claims.
I then agreed (via a third party) to engage in a debate where we could both introduce clients and their successes, support out position on leadgen, and civilly present our client stories in a moderated discussion. He initially agreed. He then decided that he preferred to record a video with the moderator directly in order to control the discussion and chose not to participate in an form of debate where there the ethical nature of his operation might be challenged.
In order for the debate to happen, I asked that we effectively debate one point: "Is it ethical to provide an unbranded service at high cost when the time it takes to introduce an equivalent and self-hosted solution takes minutes". He declined.
Before you buy leads, talk to a *real* digital agency. We're certainly not for everybody, but there are so many talented individuals out there that share my position, and they're all able to guide you into (and support) a product that assigns real value to your operation.
Simply selling leads is an indicator of marketing mediocrity. There's not a single leadgen experience in the industry that can't be replicated in minutes (GPT will even do it for you).
I tend to take aim at those that use false advertising, baiting, and other nefarious methods in order to drive down their cost, and while it's a little repetitive, I'll probably keep doing it - the industry deserves to see the nonsense representing their brand.
I've had two publications talk to me as a result.
Don't buy leads.
