Are there any lead generation companies you’d actually recommend?

[DebtRecoveryUK]

Hi all,

Has anyone had genuinely good results using a lead generation company?

There seem to be hundreds out there promising the world, but I’m curious if anyone has found one that actually delivered quality leads not just cold data or unqualified contacts.

Ideally looking for recommendations based on your own experience (good or bad). I’m open-minded on the approach whether it’s telemarketing, LinkedIn, email outreach or something else but what really matters to me is whether they actually generated business.

Appreciate any honest feedback or suggestions.

 

[fisicx]

There are some very good lead generation companies. But if this is for your business I'm not so sure it would be helpful. People don't need debt recovery until they have a debt. You wouldn't ever know if someone has a debt until they asked for help or did a google search.

I worked with someone years ago who helped people threatened with the bailiffs. He used Google Ads and was inundated with work. So much so that the big bailiff companies we constantly trying to get him shut down. At the height of his business he was earning tens of thousands each week. He stopped because he earned enough to retire overseas.

 

[DebtRecoveryUK]

Appreciate the reply and you’re absolutely right, our field is a tricky one.

We actually have a strong outbound team that does well, and we’ve tried various lead generation approaches before. Some worked to a degree, but the volume was never quite there. Google Ads used to be solid for us too, but performance has dropped off massively in the past year.

So yes, totally agree, people only come looking when they have a problem, which makes timing everything. That example you gave of the bailiff support business is a great illustration of getting it spot on.

 

[fisicx]

How often do you change your adverts? Do you experiment and test different keywords? Are you revising your landing pages regularly?

A really good google ad campaign needs almost daily adjustment. I’ve seen leads double by changing landing page structures. And make sure your landing isn’t the same one you use to promote your services. Different needs.

 

[DebtRecoveryUK]

The marketing change the ads/keywords regularly but not sure regarding the landing pages, I will go back to them about that. Thank you

 

[fisicx]

The marketing change the ads/keywords regularly but not sure regarding the landing pages, I will go back to them about that. Thank you

Do it yourself. Don’t rely on an agency for this as they don’t understand the nuances of your business.

For example, you might see people phrasing the terminology differently in one area of the country. You can immediately set up a new campaign, run 50+ different adverts and have a range of highly targeted landing pages optimised for that specific keyword.

An agency won’t have this granular detail.

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

Yes. We're video production so my experience is what works for our customers around video. I guess you've got Adwords etc... covered so I can talk about something that's a bit left field. And that's the ROI on TV advertising.

Specifically on Sky, not any other channel, because you can get super targeted. And that massively reduces the price.

You have to make a decent creative but it doesn't cost that much and frankly, that's our job.

E.g. If you run a test with them it'll cost about 3,999 + VAT all-in. Let's say you're targeting FDs at shipping / logistics firms in a 30 mile radius. So you get a creative (video) made specifically for your target audience, Sky runs the ad and only people who are FDs in those firms will see the ad. Then you can measure responses. You can even combine your own CRM with theirs so they include your former customers as part of the package.

A full campaign costs £15k - £20k + VAT. That's different adverts targeting different sectors / people over the course of a year plus a better creative.

If you want to know more, just DM me. Doesn't work 100% of the time but when it works... wow.

 

[Paul Carmen]

We've worked with a few members on here, and specialise in medium and high ticket lead generation via Google Ads and SEO. Happy to have a quick look at your Google Ads account and see what has caused the drop off, plus what level of lead gen could be achieved.

Looking at your landing pages and "refer a debt" process, you could make usability changes that would significantly increase your contact and customer sign up rates.

If that's something you're interested in, then feel free to PM me, or get in touch via the details below.

 

[ThatDevAaron]

If your debt collection involves kicking peoples doors off and taking everything while they're not home I've got some customers for you

 

[DebtRecoveryUK]

Haha, if only it were that dramatic!

We prefer the "firm but fair" approach, more phone calls and paperwork than battering rams. But if your customers are giving you the runaround, we’re definitely the people to speak to.

Send them our way, no crowbars needed!

 

[fisicx]

But going back to the post from @Paul Carmen, it’s your landing pages that are letting you down. Which suggests the agency you use to manage your PPC isn’t doing their job properly.

 

[DebtRecoveryUK]

We've worked with a few members on here, and specialise in medium and high ticket lead generation via Google Ads and SEO. Happy to have a quick look at your Google Ads account and see what has caused the drop off, plus what level of lead gen could be achieved.

Looking at your landing pages and "refer a debt" process, you could make usability changes that would significantly increase your contact and customer sign up rates.

If that's something you're interested in, then feel free to PM me, or get in touch via the details below.

Thanks for the offer, I will speak to the marketing team and will be in touch.

 

[DebtRecoveryUK]

But going back to the post from @Paul Carmen, it’s your landing pages that are letting you down. Which suggests the agency you use to manage your PPC isn’t doing their job properly.

I know nothing about this so please bare with me! How do you know the landing pages are letting us down?

 

[fisicx]

I know nothing about this so please bear with me! How do you know the landing pages are letting us down?

PPC landing pages have a different structure to your standard pages.

The person clicking on the advert has expectations different to someone browsing the site.

The PPC landing page is more important than the keywords and advert. The landing pages should be updated and adjusted constantly.

I’ve seen leads increase massively just but changing simple things like the CTA wording or attention getter.

Get a website review right here on UKBF.

 

[Paul Carmen]

I can't speak for what @fisicx has reviewed, but much of your PPC detail is in the public domain, and some of our PPC tools can quickly scan what ads you're running.

This shows the ads, some of the main keywords, plus some landing pages (but by no means all & we'd need to link to your Google Ads account for full analysis).

We'd not normally go into much detail on a public forum, as we charge for detailed analysis and PPC marketing work; but many of your PPC and website issues appear to be very basic; e.g. you seem to have a strange PPC strategy that is focused primarily around your brand, when you rank No 1 organically already. There are loads of other highly relevant search terms that would generate far more leads. Plus, your PPC search volume has dropped massively recently.

Your landing pages appear to be these sort of pages; https://www.redwoodcollections.com/our-promise or https://www.redwoodcollections.com/collections-service - these lack above the fold calls to action on mobile, use WhatsApp as a primary contact method; are really long and wordy and have both large and tiny fonts on them which make the page poor usability wise. They are better on desktop but still far from great.

They don't seem optimised for searches and Quality Score, or for selling the benefits of your debt services to customers and capturing their details. If customers do use the "refer a debt" form process, this is on a another poorly laid out page where you can't even see the form when you land on it, plus it asks lots of questions (are they all relevant), and is of a daunting and off putting layout and length.

We'd utilise tried and tested landing page layouts and advanced form/funnels that lead to best in class conversion rates. This combined with targeting commercial and buying intent type keywords, and blocking irrelevant searches, leads to tightly targeted high ROI lead generation.

You don't make it clear what your position is at Redwood Collections, nor how your marketing is structured (in house or an agency). Either way, we have worked with clients in similar positions, and made step changes to their PPC lead gen, often generating 3, 4 or 5 times the lead quantity, with much lower costs per lead.

 

[DebtRecoveryUK]

I can't speak for what @fisicx has reviewed, but much of your PPC detail is in the public domain, and some of our PPC tools can quickly scan what ads you're running.

This shows the ads, some of the main keywords, plus some landing pages (but by no means all & we'd need to link to your Google Ads account for full analysis).

We'd not normally go into much detail on a public forum, as we charge for detailed analysis and PPC marketing work; but many of your PPC and website issues appear to be very basic; e.g. you seem to have a strange PPC strategy that is focused primarily around your brand, when you rank No 1 organically already. There are loads of other highly relevant search terms that would generate far more leads. Plus, your PPC search volume has dropped massively recently.

Your landing pages appear to be these sort of pages; https://www.redwoodcollections.com/our-promise or https://www.redwoodcollections.com/collections-service - these lack above the fold calls to action on mobile, use WhatsApp as a primary contact method; are really long and wordy and have both large and tiny fonts on them which make the page poor usability wise. They are better on desktop but still far from great.

They don't seem optimised for searches and Quality Score, or for selling the benefits of your debt services to customers and capturing their details. If customers do use the "refer a debt" form process, this is on a another poorly laid out page where you can't even see the form when you land on it, plus it asks lots of questions (are they all relevant), and is of a daunting and off putting layout and length.

We'd utilise tried and tested landing page layouts and advanced form/funnels that lead to best in class conversion rates. This combined with targeting commercial and buying intent type keywords, and blocking irrelevant searches, leads to tightly targeted high ROI lead generation.

You don't make it clear what your position is at Redwood Collections, nor how your marketing is structured (in house or an agency). Either way, we have worked with clients in similar positions, and made step changes to their PPC lead gen, often generating 3, 4 or 5 times the lead quantity, with much lower costs per lead.

Really appreciate the feedback, I will reply back our agency and the in house marketing team. i will DM you the outcome

 

[Paul Carmen]

Really appreciate the feedback, I will reply back our agency and the in house marketing team. i will DM you the outcome

Martin, if I were you I'd speak to your in house marketing team first, then get what you're currently doing marketing & PPC/SEO wise reviewed independently (whether with us or someone else).

If you use an agency currently for PPC/SEO, they likely won't be pleased with this process, and may well make things difficult, especially if they're not doing a good job lead wise. At best you find out it's OK and can feedback some things you'd like them to change/improve, at worst you're going to be serving notice and looking to move lead generation elsewhere.

You should own the Google Ads PPC and Search Console accounts, and be able to invite users or accept MCC (management) access from other agencies or accredited individuals. If you don't, ask for access ASAP so you can review this without their involvement.

 

[ethical PR]

Appreciate the reply and you’re absolutely right, our field is a tricky one.

We actually have a strong outbound team that does well, and we’ve tried various lead generation approaches before. Some worked to a degree, but the volume was never quite there. Google Ads used to be solid for us too, but performance has dropped off massively in the past year.

So yes, totally agree, people only come looking when they have a problem, which makes timing everything. That example you gave of the bailiff support business is a great illustration of getting it spot on.

Target landlords .

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

Really appreciate the feedback, I will reply back our agency and the in house marketing team. i will DM you the outcome

There's one more thing I'd add because the number 1 website convertor of visitors to sales is video customer testimonials (according to Google etc...). Because who do prospects trust more? Is it the company selling to them or their customers who've bought their services?

Who would you trust more? And customers can say things about you that you can't say yourselves. For example, this is a customer saying they 'hit the jackpot' when they engaged us: https://www.fnxmedia.com/?wix-vod-v...b80ec6ce9fabe15&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-kvplcy2r

I can't go around saying we're the best thing ever because it makes me sound like an arrogant idiot but if our customers say it, that simply increases the number of sales we get from our website. So one of those will help you a lot.

 

[DebtRecoveryUK]

There's one more thing I'd add because the number 1 website convertor of visitors to sales is video customer testimonials (according to Google etc...). Because who do prospects trust more? Is it the company selling to them or their customers who've bought their services?

Who would you trust more? And customers can say things about you that you can't say yourselves. For example, this is a customer saying they 'hit the jackpot' when they engaged us: https://www.fnxmedia.com/?wix-vod-v...b80ec6ce9fabe15&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-kvplcy2r

I can't go around saying we're the best thing ever because it makes me sound like an arrogant idiot but if our customers say it, that simply increases the number of sales we get from our website. So one of those will help you a lot.

Thanks Paul, Great honest post. If this is something we want to look at, you will be the first person we contact

 

[Talktime]

I work in a similar field to yours, but from the perspective of the debtor and those who face barriers to justice due to being from low-income or socially disadvantaged backgrounds. Your instincts are correct in approaching lead generation with a degree of scepticism. The market is indeed saturated with agencies claiming to deliver qualified leads, but the reality is often far more nuanced. While there are firms that can deliver meaningful results, many fall short by offering volume over quality, relying heavily on scraped data, untargeted email blasts or outsourced telemarketing that pays little regard to GDPR compliance or brand positioning.


The term “lead” itself is frequently misused. True lead generation should be measured not by the number of contacts supplied, but by their propensity to convert into pipeline revenue. In this context, a lead generation partner should be judged on three core criteria: the quality of their targeting, the integrity of their outreach methodology, and the alignment of their process with your sales funnel.


A number of B2B businesses have reported some success with LinkedIn-centric agencies, particularly those using tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator in tandem with account-based marketing (ABM) techniques. One such example is Sopro, which blends email outreach with LinkedIn engagement and has case studies across professional services and tech sectors. However, performance tends to vary significantly depending on sector, audience sophistication, and the clarity of the value proposition. Likewise, Cognism and Pearl Lemon Leads have had credible feedback in some verticals, especially when clients supplied tightly defined ICPs (Ideal Customer Profiles) and stayed engaged in the campaign optimisation cycle.


However, caution is essential. Under the UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), there are strict rules around unsolicited electronic marketing. If a lead generation agency fails to adhere to these, not only do you risk regulatory enforcement, but also reputational damage. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has taken action against companies misusing personal data or sending non-compliant outreach communications. Therefore, any contract with such an agency must include clear warranties and indemnities that they will operate in full compliance with data protection law.


From a commercial perspective, it is wise to avoid long lock-in contracts or setups where the provider owns the data. Look instead for firms that allow you to vet messaging, approve lists, and integrate lead activity directly into your CRM so attribution can be tracked and sales outcomes measured. It is also advisable to negotiate a pilot campaign with performance targets, reviewed under a service level agreement. This allows you to test not just response rates, but actual commercial value.


As a strategic next step, consider beginning with a clearly defined campaign brief. Articulate your ICP, clarify what constitutes a marketing-qualified lead (MQL) and a sales-qualified lead (SQL), and insist on full transparency of the outreach method. If the agency cannot supply examples of previous work or provide references in similar industries, that should raise a red flag.

 

[Byzantium]

No. All you are going to get is self serving "experts" whose only expertise is to extract money from you.

Sure, you might never get better than 70/30 but your margins will be better without the "experts".

 

[DebtRecoveryUK]

No. All you are going to get is self serving "experts" whose only expertise is to extract money from you.

Sure, you might never get better than 70/30 but your margins will be better without the "experts".

Plenty of those about

 

[Startup Sam]

Hi Yes, I know several lead gen specialists. They are not all dodgy! It's critical that you already know who your ideal customers are (their profile, size, sector, pain points etc) and what messages work best. Get a lead gen agency that knows your sector and align payments to deliverables. Good luck

 

[adam@nicada]

We tested 11 lead gen agencies in 2025 at Nicada Digital, and the only two that genuinely worked for us were FatRank and PromoSEO.


Both delivered properly qualified leads, run no win, no fee, and actually brought in real conversations and business — not just lists of contacts.


Hope this helps.
Adam
Nicada Digital

Hi all,

Has anyone had genuinely good results using a lead generation company?

There seem to be hundreds out there promising the world, but I’m curious if anyone has found one that actually delivered quality leads not just cold data or unqualified contacts.

Ideally looking for recommendations based on your own experience (good or bad). I’m open-minded on the approach whether it’s telemarketing, LinkedIn, email outreach or something else but what really matters to me is whether they actually generated business.

Appreciate any honest feedback or suggestions.

 

[Mark T Jones]

It seems that lead generation companies are now targeting finance brokers.

I noticed an amusing flood of untargeted emails promising targeted leads.

Then, I flagged on LinkedIn a massively unprofessional- borderline illegal - ad for business loans, and was informed it is a lead generation company hiding behind the fact that they aren't actually offering or arranging any loans.

It's fair to say that the quality of leads will be pretty poor!