Free tool · the maths bit, done for you
What can I afford to pay for an enquiry?
Most businesses guess. You don't have to. Put in a few numbers you already know and see what an enquiry is worth to you, what you could sensibly pay for one, and what that means for your ad budget.
- Free
- No sign-up or email
- Saves in your browser only
- About 2 min
How to use it
- 1Fill in the yellow boxesYour average job or order value, your profit margin and roughly how many enquiries become paying customers. Ballpark figures are fine.
- 2Decide your marketing shareHow much of the profit from a new customer you're happy to spend winning them. 20–40% is a common starting point.
- 3Compare scenariosAdd up to three versions side by side, like "now", "after a price rise" or "with a summer offer".
- 4Save or downloadIt saves in this browser automatically. Copy a link to come back to it, or download a CSV or PDF.
Where do I find my close rate?
Count your enquiries for the last three months (forms, calls and emails), then count how many became paying customers. Customers ÷ enquiries × 100 is your close rate. If you don't track enquiries yet, a sensible guess is fine; our key events guide shows how to start counting them.
What margin should I use?
Use your gross margin: what's left from the job value after the direct costs of doing that job (materials, stock, subcontractors). Your accountant or last year's accounts will give you a good figure.
What's "jobs per customer"?
How many times a typical customer buys from you. A one-off job is 1. If people come back every year for three years, use 3. Be cautious here; it's easy to be optimistic.
Side by side
Affordable cost per enquiry for each scenario.
Everything you type stays in this browser. We don't see it, store it or send it anywhere. Clear it any time with "Start again".
Questions, answered.
Is this what I should pay for a click?
Not quite. An enquiry usually takes several clicks. If you add your website conversion rate, the calculator also shows an indicative maximum cost per click.
Why is the "affordable" figure lower than break-even?
Break-even means you make no profit from that customer at all. The affordable figure keeps the rest of the profit for you.
Is my data stored anywhere?
Only in your own browser. Nothing is sent to us unless you choose to get in touch.
Want a second pair of eyes?
Bring what you've made here and we'll talk it through with you. No hard sell, just straight answers.