18 December 2006 – SMEs are being offered a new online Pay-Per-Lead marketing solution with TheSeed.com, an automated web-based service providing genuine, pre-qualified new business leads at a cost of between £10 - £15 per lead.

Key to the concept is the definition of a lead. Currently when businesses think of sourcing ‘leads’ it relates to buying prospect lists of potential customers that offer nothing more than contact details. These ‘leads’ have not expressed an interest in the business or its services, meaning the SME needs to actively market to them through cold calling and pitching.

Lead generation from The Seed is totally different – it offers genuine enquiries from companies that have read about the business and are interested in its services. The potential customers initiate the contact to gather further information or a quote – similar to enquiries coming from the company’s own website – significantly increasing conversion rates.

The Seed’s Pay-Per-Lead approach ensures that customers only pay for the genuine targeted business leads that they receive. A lead from www.theseed.com is pre-qualified over the phone by The Seed’s customer services team so that SME subscribers only get genuine business enquiries – if no genuine leads are received there is nothing to pay.

In addition, there are no large up-front fees – sign up is free and opening an account costs just £50, which could create up to five genuine leads. There is no contract lock-in, allowing the service to be stopped at any time, while providing clear ROI for marketing planning.

The site’s creator Keir McConomy said: “The Seed’s approach is unique in that it provides qualified leads to SMEs from potential customers who actually initiated the contact. They are interested in your company and your service, significantly increasing the chances of converting it into real business and improving ROI. The Seed customers are already seeing improvements in their conversion rates, with some reporting conversion levels of over 40%. SMEs want customers, and The Seed gives that to them without heavy investment or lengthy tie ins."

Simple to use and manage, SMEs sign up to TheSeed.com through the website, outlining the business services they offer for potential new customers. These services are organised in 27 different categories, ranging from printing services and direct marketing, to commercial finance and IT services. New categories will be added as the site grows, and company or service details can be updated at any time.

McConomy came up with the idea of The Seed after many years creating bespoke Pay-Per-Lead campaigns for clients in areas as diverse as recruitment and direct mail. “The beauty of The Seed is its simplicity," he added. “Its manageable costs, scalability and qualified leads mean it could be the only marketing investment ever needed by many SMEs. With marketing ROI becoming increasingly important The Seed offers a new approach to managing and improving results."