Lead disputes damage partner relationships. A written policy prevents most of them.
Set a duration
Define how many days a partner’s lead is protected. Propto stores partner lead-protection days in the sales policy.
Define proof
Registration date, form submission or call record. Use the CRM timestamp as proof.
Handle conflicts
When two partners register the same buyer, the earlier registration wins unless policy says otherwise. Document exceptions.
Why lead protection matters
When a broker introduces a buyer, they expect to be credited if that buyer books. Without a protection policy, disputes arise whenever the same buyer appears through another partner or directly. These disputes damage relationships and consume management time.
A clear policy defines who owns a lead, for how long and on what evidence.
Setting a duration
Choose a protection period, such as a number of days from registration or from the buyer’s first visit. Long enough to give brokers time to work the lead, short enough to avoid locking buyers to inactive partners.
Some developers extend protection when the broker has taken the buyer on a site visit.
Defining proof
Decide what counts as valid registration: buyer name and phone number entered in the system before any other claim, with a timestamp. Verbal claims and screenshots should not override system records.
Make registration easy, through a portal or form, so brokers use it.
Handling direct enquiries
If a protected buyer later enquires directly, the lead should be flagged, and the partner’s protection respected according to policy. Train your sales team to check for protected leads before claiming a buyer.
Clear rules prevent internal teams from undermining partners.
Handling conflicts between partners
When two partners register the same buyer, the earlier valid registration usually wins. Record decisions and communicate them promptly to both partners with the evidence.
Consistency is essential; exceptions should be rare and documented.
Expiry and renewal
When protection expires without progress, the lead becomes available. Notify the partner before expiry, so they can act or request an extension under policy.
Record extensions with reasons and approvals.
Making it visible
Show protection status on the lead: protected by which partner, from when and until when. Visibility prevents accidental conflicts and makes decisions quick.
Partners should see the status of their own registrations.
Why it matters for partners
Protection gives partners confidence to invest effort in introducing buyers to your projects. Without it, they may prefer developers with clearer rules or hold back their best buyers.
Fair, predictable protection is one of the strongest reasons partners choose to work with a developer.
Getting the team involved
Partner managers explain the policy, sales respects it, management resolves exceptions and the system enforces timestamps and durations.
Train every salesperson to check protection before engaging a buyer who may be partner-registered.
Building the habit
Review disputes monthly to see whether the policy works. If many disputes involve the same situation, clarify the rule.
Publish the policy and update partners when it changes.
A worked example
A partner registers a buyer on the first of the month with a sixty-day protection period. On the twentieth, the buyer calls the developer directly. The sales executive sees the protection flag and involves the partner. The buyer books through the partner, and commission follows correctly.
Another partner later claims the same buyer, but the system shows the earlier registration, and the dispute is resolved in minutes.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes include unwritten policies, verbal registrations, protection periods that differ by person and sales teams ignoring protection flags.
Another mistake is not notifying partners before expiry.
Questions teams often ask
How long should protection last? Long enough for a typical decision cycle in your market, with possible extensions for visits.
What if a buyer prefers to deal directly? Respect the buyer’s choice, but honour the partner’s commission under the policy.
A protection checklist
Duration and extension rules defined. Registration through the system with timestamps. Protection visible on leads and to partners.
Direct enquiries flagged. Conflicts resolved by earliest valid registration. Expiry notifications sent. Monthly dispute review.
In practice
Write the policy on one page, configure protection periods in your system and train sales to check protection status. Share the policy with partners and invite questions.
Review disputes after the first quarter.
Going further
Consider sharing anonymised statistics with partners, such as average time from registration to booking. This helps partners understand realistic timelines and use their protection period well.
Recognise partners who consistently register genuine buyers who go on to visit and book.
In short
Set a clear protection duration, require system registration with timestamps, make protection visible, respect it across sales and partners, resolve conflicts by evidence and notify partners before expiry.
A final word on fairness
The strength of a protection policy lies less in its exact rules than in how consistently they are applied. Partners accept a strict rule applied to everyone far more readily than a generous rule applied unevenly. Every decision, especially an uncomfortable one, should point back to the same written policy and the same recorded evidence.
Publish it, apply it and review it every quarter with partners.
Consistency is what partners remember most.
Keep it simple and visible.
Where is lead protection set?
In Settings, within sales policy.