THE LEAD PRICE IS NOT THE WHOLE DECISION
A low cost per inquiry can still be expensive if the office misses calls, the leads do not fit the service area, or the sales team does not close the work. A higher cost per inquiry can be reasonable if the service line has healthy margin, the lead is answered quickly, and the team has capacity to deliver.
Use a simple chain: inquiries, answered inquiries, booked appointments, completed appointments, sold work, collected revenue, and gross profit. Each handoff changes the value of the original inquiry. The calculator below is a planning aid, not a promise or a substitute for your finance team.
GET THE INPUTS FROM YOUR OWN SYSTEM
Pull a defined period from your call tracking, CRM, dispatch system, and accounting reports. Use the same definitions across the team. For example, decide whether an answered call means a live conversation, whether a booking means a confirmed appointment, and whether average ticket is sold or collected revenue.
Separate service lines when the economics differ. Emergency repair, maintenance, replacement, and commercial work rarely have the same answer rate, close rate, or margin. Blending them can hide the decision you need to make.
HVAC LEAD ECONOMICS CALCULATOR
Enter one channel or service line at a time. This is a planning model using the assumptions you provide. It shows gross profit before overhead, taxes, and fixed operating costs.
WHAT THE MODEL CAN TELL YOU
The model estimates how many inquiries become booked jobs and sales under the assumptions you enter. It also shows revenue and gross profit before overhead. That gives an owner a way to test a proposed spend level against real operating performance.
If the result looks wrong, do not immediately change the channel. Check the inputs with the people closest to the work. A soft booking rate, delayed return call, or low estimate close rate may be a process issue worth fixing before you buy more volume.
USE IT IN A WEEKLY REVIEW
Pick one channel or service line each week. Enter the current numbers, compare the output to the prior period, and write down one operational change to test. This could be a tighter service area, better call routing, a more specific offer, a different landing page, or a follow-up rule.
The goal is not to find one magic maximum lead cost. The goal is to understand what needs to be true for a lead source to create profitable work in your company.