Patent ID: 8175920

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for exchanging sales leads between a first company and a plurality of companies, said computer-implemented method being implemented via a computer network, said computer-implemented method comprising: receiving profile data pertaining to said plurality of companies; receiving offering data pertaining to at least one of a product and a service offered by at least said first company; receiving customer profile data, said customer profile data pertaining to a customer conducting a transaction involving said at least one of said product and said service; providing via said computer network, during a pendency of said transaction, data pertaining to said at least one of said product and said service and pertaining to specific characteristics of said customer to said plurality of companies, wherein each of said plurality of companies offers at least one of a complementary product a complementary service different from said at least one of a product and a service offered by said first company; receiving via said computer network bid data from said plurality of companies, said bid data pertaining to bids for prices that each individual company of said plurality of companies is willing to pay for at least a sales lead related to said transaction by said customer, said prices depending at least in part on said specific characteristics of said customer as reflected in said customer profile data; selecting, responsive to said receiving said bid data during said pendency of said transaction, a bid by a second company of said plurality of companies as a winning bid; providing said bid by said second company to said first company, enabling said first company to accept or reject said bid; receiving via said computer network at least one qualification question from said second company; executing, using at least a programmed computing device, sales lead data exchange pertaining to said customer, said executing further including presenting said at least one qualification question furnished by said second company to said customer during said pendency of said transaction and receiving a response to said at least one qualification question from said customer; and providing sales lead data including at least said response to said second company, wherein a final price payable by said second company to said first company for said sales lead data pertaining to said customer is a first price if said response by said customer has a first value and wherein said final price payable by said second company to said first company for said sales lead data is a second price different from said first price if said response by said customer has a second value different from said first value.