Rated People is a lead marketplace. You buy access to customers who are already looking for a tradesperson. It's a simple proposition and, in the right circumstances, it works.
Direct lead generation is different: it's building the infrastructure so customers find you first, before they've ever heard of Rated People. Here's why the two approaches aren't as equivalent as the headline prices suggest.
How Rated People Works
You buy credits, spend them on leads that match your trade and location, and get put in front of a customer alongside up to two other tradespeople. First to respond well usually wins the quote opportunity, not necessarily the job.
Credit prices run from £3 for small jobs to £60+ for larger projects. At a typical win rate of 1 in 4 to 1 in 6, your real cost per job won sits between £15 and £360 depending on lead quality and your quoting ability.
| Rated People | Direct (SEO + GBP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per lead | £3–60 | £0 after setup |
| Lead exclusivity | Shared (up to 3 trades) | Exclusive: they called you |
| Lead quality | Variable | Higher (they chose you) |
| Setup time | Minutes | 3–6 months to rank |
| Scales without more spend | No | Yes |
| Builds long-term asset | No | Yes |
The Problem With Lead Platforms at Scale
The unit economics of lead platforms tend to get worse as your business grows, not better. You can't negotiate down the cost per lead. You can't stop competitors from buying the same leads. And you're training customers to use the platform rather than coming to you directly.
Every job you win through Rated People is a customer who doesn't have your number saved, hasn't seen your website, and will probably go back to Rated People next time rather than calling you directly.
Direct leads are the opposite. A customer who finds you through Google, reads your site, sees your reviews, and calls you has already done half your selling for you. They called you specifically.
Not sure where you stand? Run a free website audit and I'll tell you exactly what to fix.
The Verdict
Rated People is a tool for buying leads when you need them. It's not a strategy for building a sustainable trade business.
The tradespeople who are turning down work, who have more enquiries than they can handle, almost never got there through lead platforms. They got there because they rank on Google for their trade in their area, their Google Business Profile shows up in the map pack, and their website converts visitors into calls without them lifting a finger.
That infrastructure takes longer to build than signing up to Rated People. But it compounds. A website that ranks keeps generating leads whether you're on a job, on holiday, or asleep. Rated People stops the moment your credits run out.
Want to talk it through? Message me directly, no forms, no waiting.
