A
- AEP (Annual Enrollment Period)
- The Medicare enrollment window from October 15 to December 7 each year, when beneficiaries can change Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. Most Medicare agencies’ annual volume is decided here.
- Aged lead
- A lead that was not converted when it first arrived, typically 30 days or older. Already paid for, it can often be reactivated by automated or AI-led follow-up.
- Appointment rate
- The percentage of leads that book an appointment. It measures how well qualification and follow-up turn interest into a scheduled conversation.
- Area exclusivity
- Our commitment to work with one partner per market, so the demand we generate is never shared with a competitor in the same area.
B
- Built to Scale™
- Sore Thumb’s proprietary acquisition system: the Acquisition Engine™, the Growth OS™ and the Partner Suite™, with custom AI throughout.
C
- Contact rate
- The percentage of leads reached in a live conversation. Exclusive leads and fast response raise it; shared leads lower it.
- Cost per acquisition (CPA)
- Total acquisition cost divided by the number of new clients won. In insurance this is often called cost per policy; in mortgage, cost per funded loan.
- Cost per lead (CPL)
- Total ad spend divided by the number of leads generated. Useful for managing campaigns, but misleading on its own because it ignores lead quality.
- Cost per funded loan
- Total acquisition cost divided by the number of loans that fund. The most reliable efficiency measure for a mortgage brokerage.
- Cost per policy
- Total acquisition cost divided by the number of policies written. The figure that shows what a lead source truly costs an agency.
- CRM
- Customer relationship management software: the system of record for leads, conversations, appointments and pipeline stages.
E
- Exclusive lead
- A lead generated for one agency or brokerage only and never resold.
F
- FMO / IMO
- Field or independent marketing organisation. A wholesale distributor that contracts and supports a network of insurance agents, common in Medicare and life.
- Funnel
- The pages and steps a prospect moves through from first click to submitted inquiry, including the qualifying questions asked along the way.
H
- HELOC
- Home equity line of credit. A revolving credit line secured against a home’s equity.
L
- Lead routing
- The rules that decide which agent or loan officer receives each lead, based on licensing, availability, product and capacity.
N
- Non-QM loan
- A non-qualified mortgage: a loan outside standard agency guidelines, often used by self-employed borrowers and property investors.
R
- Reactivation
- Re-engaging leads or past clients who did not convert or have gone quiet, usually by automated text or AI-led conversation.
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
- Revenue or commission earned divided by ad spend. A 7.4× ROAS means $7.40 earned for every $1 spent.
S
- Show rate
- The percentage of booked appointments that actually take place. Reminders, confirmations and easy rescheduling raise it.
- Speed to lead
- The time between a prospect submitting an inquiry and receiving a meaningful response. Shorter is consistently better.
T
- TCPA
- The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the US law governing consent for calls and texts to consumers. Any automated outreach must comply with it.
- Turning 65
- Prospects approaching Medicare eligibility. A year-round source of demand outside AEP.