How to Calculate Your True Cost Per Booked Plumbing Job (Not Just Cost Per Lead)

Because "cheap leads" mean nothing if they never turn into paying jobs.

Most plumbers are told to "lower your cost per lead," but that's only half the story. You don't pay your techs, your suppliers, or your overhead with leads—you pay them with booked jobs and profit. If you only look at cost per lead, cheap but low-quality sources (like shared leads) can look great on paper while quietly killing your margin.

Step 1: List Your Plumbing Lead Sources

Start with a clean list of everywhere your leads come from:

Step 2: Track Basic Numbers for Each Source

Pick a time window (30–90 days is ideal), and for each source track:

• Total spend — Ads, fees, or vendor costs tied to that source.
• Number of qualified leads or calls — Real plumbing opportunities, not spam.
• Number of booked jobs — How many turned into scheduled, completed paying jobs.
• Total revenue from those jobs — Combined invoice amounts for that source.
• Average profit per job — After labor, materials, and direct costs (or at least your margin %).

Step 3: Calculate Cost Per Lead and Cost Per Booked Job

Cost per lead tells you what you're paying to generate one opportunity—but it's not the whole picture.

Cost per booked job is the number that actually matters when you decide whether a channel is profitable. You'll often find:

• Cheap shared leads = low cost per lead, high cost per booked job.
• Exclusive calls/LSAs = higher cost per lead, lower cost per booked job.

Step 4: Add Revenue and Profit Into the Picture

Quantify what you get back from each source. Different channels often drive different job types:

• Google Ads might drive more high-ticket installs.
• LSAs might be heavier on emergency work.
• Referrals might have higher average tickets because of trust.

Step 5: Calculate ROI Per Lead Source

Calculate a simple profit-based ROI for each channel:

• ROI > 100% → You're more than doubling your money on that source.
• ROI around 0 → You're basically breaking even.
• ROI < 0 → You're losing money and need to fix or cut that source.

Real Example: Shared Leads vs. Pay-Per-Call

Let's say over 60 days you have:

How the Predictable Work Engine Makes This Automatic

Doing this once in a spreadsheet is fine. Doing it every month across multiple sources is where it breaks for most shops. That's why BaaDigi builds:

• Tracking across every channel — LSAs, Google Ads, SEO, pay-per-call, shared leads, referrals.
• Call and form attribution — So each job and invoice is tied back to its original lead source.
• Simple, recurring reports — Showing cost per lead, cost per booked job, revenue, and profit per source.

Frequently Asked Questions