Facade refurbishment, external thermal insulation (ETI), rendering and cleaning are among the most profitable jobs in construction — but also the slowest to sell. An owner renews a facade once in a generation, the decision is compared across several quotes, and the trigger (cracks, water ingress, energy subsidies, a maintenance obligation) rarely lands when your order book is empty. Demand exists, but it's diffuse, seasonal and hotly contested between facade companies.
This guide is for facade, ETI and rendering companies considering buying leads: what a qualified contact costs on a high-ticket job, how to judge its quality, and which legal framework applies in Switzerland to stay compliant with the nLPD.
Why buy facade leads in Switzerland
The Swiss facade market runs on two demand drivers. On one side, maintenance and repair: cracks, blistering render, moss and grime, water ingress that pushes an owner to act. On the other, energy renovation: external insulation is now one of the most heavily subsidised measures in construction through the Buildings Programme and cantonal incentives, which triggers projects that would not have happened without financial support. In both cases, the owner is actively looking for a company — and that's exactly the moment a lead captures.
A purchased lead is a request already made by a client who wants to refurbish or insulate their facade: you no longer need to create the need, only to secure the site visit and then the quote. On high-ticket jobs, where a signed project represents a substantial sum, a single converted lead easily repays the acquisition cost of several contacts. For a company looking to smooth its order book in the off-season or fill the working season in advance, buying leads is often faster and more predictable than an ad campaign with an uncertain outcome.
How much does a facade lead cost in Switzerland
The price of a facade lead depends on several factors: the level of exclusivity (exclusive lead vs. shared between several companies), the type of project (simple cleaning/waterproofing, a full refurbishment, or the far more committing external insulation), the nature of the property (a single house or a co-owned building whose decision goes through a general assembly) and the region (the Lake Geneva arc and the Zurich area generate different volumes from a rural canton).
Because the average facade ticket is high, the cost per lead naturally sits above that of a repair call-out: a qualified contact on a full refurbishment or ETI justifies a higher price than a simple cleaning enquiry. Market ranges vary widely by provider, order volume and seasonality — demand concentrates from spring to autumn, when the weather allows render and paint. Rather than reasoning per unit, reason in cost per signed job: that's the only figure that matters when a project carries a high value. The reliable way to know it is to request a detailed, no-obligation quote before starting.
- Shared lead (2 to 4 companies): entry price to test a provider before scaling up.
- Exclusive lead: higher cost, but essential on a facade ticket where each quote is worked over time.
- Project type: an ETI or full refurbishment is worth more than a simple cleaning request.
- Cost per signed job: the only relevant metric, not the lead price taken in isolation.
How to judge the quality of a facade lead
On a facade job, a quality lead is judged first by how precisely the project is described. A good contact states the type of work (refurbishment, insulation, rendering, cleaning), the nature of the building (house or apartment block), an idea of the surface or number of storeys, a desired timeline, and whether an energy subsidy is being considered. These elements shape your site visit: without them, you travel blind, which is costly in a trade where every quote requires an on-site survey and sometimes scaffolding.
Beyond these declared criteria, the real test of quality plays out over time: what share of leads turns into a site visit, then a signed job? Because a facade decision cycle is long — several quotes compared, sometimes a co-owners' assembly to convince — a good provider shares its average conversion rates and lets you track your own results. Be wary of offers built on volume at the lowest price: a lead that is unreachable, or already contacted by five competitors, ends up costing more than a slightly pricier lead that actually converts on such a high ticket.
- Clear project: type of work (refurbishment, ETI, rendering, cleaning), surface or number of storeys.
- Property type: single house or co-owned building (longer decision via assembly).
- Tracked consent: the client agreed to be contacted by a professional in the sector.
- Freshness: a lead delivered in real time is worth more than an old one.
Exclusive or shared leads: which to choose
A shared lead is sent to several facade companies at once: it costs less to buy, but you're in direct competition and the client will receive several quotes for their refurbishment. An exclusive lead is reserved for you alone: the price is higher, but you're the only company facing the client — which changes everything on a project where trust and advice weigh as much as price.
On facades, exclusivity makes even more sense because the sales cycle is long and the ticket large: a site visit, a detailed quote, sometimes a subsidy application to prepare, represent a commercial investment you don't want diluted in a five-company race. Many players start with shared leads to evaluate a provider, then move to exclusive once the relationship is established, reserving it for high-value projects (ETI, apartment-block refurbishment) where the return on a reserved lead is clearest.
Legal framework: nLPD and consent
In Switzerland, any lead purchase must comply with the federal data protection act (nLPD). In practice, every client whose details you receive must have given explicit consent to be contacted by a professional in the sector — and that consent must be tracked by the lead provider (form, checkbox, timestamp), not merely claimed. This deserves particular attention on co-owned facades: the request may come from an owner, a committee member or a managing agent, and you need to know who actually consented to being contacted.
Before buying, check that the provider can demonstrate the origin of consent and that it doesn't resell the same data to an unlimited number of companies without disclosing it. As the receiving company, you remain responsible for how you handle the data: keep it only as long as needed to follow the project — a cycle that can span months for a facade — and respect the client's right to opt out of any further contact.
