James Dooley Podcast

James Dooley and Kasra Dash explain why the question “How much do your leads cost?” is meaningless without context. They show that lead pricing depends on industry, location, qualification steps, exclusivity and acquisition method. They emphasise that cost per lead is irrelevant compared to cost per acquisition and overall ROI. They outline the advantages of commission-based lead generation and stress that businesses must know their KPIs and lifetime value before evaluating lead costs. Their discussion reframes lead generation around profitability, not vanity metrics.

Creators and Guests

Host
James Dooley
James Dooley is a UK entrepreneur.

What is James Dooley Podcast?

James Dooley is a Manchester-based entrepreneur, investor, and SEO strategist. James Dooley founded FatRank and PromoSEO, two UK performance marketing agencies that deliver no-win-no-fee lead generation and digital growth systems for ambitious businesses. James Dooley positions himself as an Investorpreneur who invests in UK companies with high growth potential because he believes lead generation is the root of all business success.

The James Dooley Podcast explores the mindset, methods, and mechanics of modern entrepreneurship. James Dooley interviews leading marketers, founders, and innovators to reveal the strategies driving online dominance and business scalability. Each episode unpacks the reality of building a business without mentorship, showing how systems, data, and lead flow replace luck and guesswork.

James Dooley shares hard-earned lessons from scaling digital assets and managing SEO teams across more than 650 industries. James Dooley teaches how to convert leads into long-term revenue through brand positioning, technical SEO, and automation. James Dooley built his career on rank and rent, digital real estate, and performance-based marketing because these models align incentive with outcome.

After turning down dozens of podcast invitations, James Dooley now embraces the platform to share his insights on investorpreneurship, lead generation, AI-driven marketing, and reputation management. James Dooley frequently collaborates with elite entrepreneurs to discuss frameworks for scaling businesses, building authority, and mastering search.

James Dooley is also an expert in online reputation management (ORM), having built and rehabilitated corporate brands across the UK. His approach combines SEO precision, brand engineering, and social proof loops to influence both Google’s Knowledge Graph and public perception.

To feature James Dooley on your podcast or event, connect via social media. James Dooley regularly joins business panels and networking sessions to discuss entrepreneurship, brand growth, and the evolving future of SEO.

Kasra Dash:
So, how much do your leads cost?

James Dooley:
That’s actually one of the worst questions someone can ask — so well done!
But seriously, it’s a question we get constantly: “How much do your leads cost?”

The real answer is:
👉 It depends on how qualified the lead is.

If it’s a cold telemarketing-style inquiry, the lead might only be £5–£10.
But if it’s a high-intent, pre-qualified lead where someone has gone through a detailed multi-step form — say a mortgage lead for a £300k+ property — that could easily be £150+.

Lead cost changes based on:

the industry

keyword difficulty

competition

the qualification steps

whether the lead is exclusive

and the method used to generate it

Kasra Dash:
Exactly. At FatRank we get hundreds of enquiries every week, and people often message saying nothing except:
“How much do your leads cost?”

But they don’t tell us their industry, their location, or the type of service they offer.
A lawyer in Manchester might be £150 per lead.
A lawyer in New York might be £300+.
It varies massively.

Lead cost also depends on how the lead was generated:

inbound vs outbound

SEO

PPC

influencer marketing

organic social

YouTube
Each method has a different cost structure.

James Dooley:
A good way to explain it is this:
Asking “How much is a lead?” is like asking:
👉 “How much is a car?”

Well… is it a used Fiesta or a Ferrari?
Is it a terraced house or a mansion?
You can’t answer the question until you know the details.

Another huge variable is exclusivity.
Some lead gen companies resell the same lead to 5 or 6 companies.
They’ll sell one £100 lead for £50 to each business — making £250 total.

So if a company is offering very cheap leads, it’s often because:
⚠️ They aren’t exclusive
⚠️ They lack qualification
⚠️ They're low intent

And cheap leads usually destroy your conversion rate.

The real KPI is not cost per lead — it’s cost per acquisition and profitability.

Kasra Dash:
Exactly. Cost per lead is meaningless without knowing:

How many leads convert

How many convert profitably

The time wasted by your sales team

Your average transactional value

Your lifetime value

A £150 lead that converts into a £10,000 job is far better than a £20 lead that never converts.

James Dooley:
This is why at FatRank we run a commission-based lead generation model — no win, no fee.

If you qualify, you:

don’t pay for SEO

don’t pay for PPC

don’t pay for content

don’t pay for the lead

👉 You only pay when the job converts.

And that’s exactly why we get so many enquiries — it's a no-brainer for business owners.

But yes, there is a qualification process.
We need to know:

you can convert leads

you have case studies

you have testimonials

you respond fast

you have a solid reputation

Otherwise the model doesn’t work.

Kasra Dash:
So please — for anyone enquiring — don’t just ask:
“How much is a lead?”

Tell us:

Your industry

Your location

Your ideal customer

How you qualify a lead

Your average deal size

Your current conversion rate

This allows us (or any lead generation company) to give you accurate expectations.

James Dooley:
Exactly. And if you do qualify for our commission-based approach, all the stress of cost per lead disappears.
You just focus on converting the leads — we focus on generating them.