Lead recovery & response
Estimate Close Rate Calculator
Measures the close rate on estimates, where each miss cost a site visit.
Result
Estimates still pending are counted as not won. If you have a long decision cycle, compare a month's estimates to the jobs that came from that month rather than to the same month's wins.
See lead follow-upHow the calculation works
Jobs won divided by estimates given, with the value of what did not close. The figure matters more in the trades than in businesses that quote by phone, because every estimate consumed travel and a site visit, which makes a low close rate a capacity problem as well as a revenue one.
What moves the number
- How enquiries are qualified before a visit.
- Speed of getting the quote back.
- How the quote presents scope rather than just price.
- Price position in the local market.
Where this one goes wrong
Getting the quote back the same day is the cheapest improvement available, because homeowners frequently accept the first competent quote rather than collecting three, and a quote delivered a week later arrives after the decision. Presenting the scope is the second, since a homeowner cannot otherwise distinguish a thorough job from a cheap one and defaults to price. Recording why each estimate was lost separates a price problem from a responsiveness one, and they need opposite responses.
Before you quote
- Get quotes back the same day where possible.
- Present scope and inclusions, not just a figure.
- Record the reason each estimate was lost.
Questions
About this calculator
How do I improve my close rate?
Quote faster and describe the scope. Homeowners frequently accept the first competent quote rather than collecting three, and describing what is included is what lets a thorough job compete with a cheap one.
Why does close rate matter more in the trades?
Because every estimate cost travel and a site visit. In an owner-operated business that is the owner's time, which makes a low close rate a capacity problem as well as a revenue one.
Should I track why estimates are lost?
Yes, because losing on price and losing on responsiveness need opposite responses. A single close rate figure tells you something is wrong without telling you whether to sharpen pricing or answer faster.
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How to use this calculator
- Estimates sent per month (estimates). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 60 estimates.
- Jobs won per month (jobs). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 18 jobs.
- Average job value ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $1,450.
- Target close rate (%). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 38%.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to current close rate, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimates sent per month | 60 estimates |
| Jobs won per month | 18 jobs |
| Average job value | $1,450 |
| Target close rate | 38% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Current close rate main result | 30.0% |
| Extra revenue per year at target | $83,520 |
| Extra jobs per month at target | 4.8 |
| Value of estimates not won, per month | $60,900 |
You close 30.0% of estimates. Reaching 38% is $83,520 a year from the same number of estimates.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only average job value, this is what happens to current close rate. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Average job value ($) | Current close rate |
|---|---|
| $725 | 30.0% |
| $1,088 | 30.0% |
| $1,450 example above | 30.0% |
| $2,175 | 30.0% |
| $2,900 | 30.0% |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Estimates sent per month (estimates)
- Measured in estimates, starting at 60 estimates.
- Jobs won per month (jobs)
- Measured in jobs, starting at 18 jobs.
- Average job value ($)
- A money amount, starting at $1,450.
- Target close rate (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 100, starting at 38%.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Current close rate | The headline result. A percentage. |
| Extra revenue per year at target | A money figure. |
| Extra jobs per month at target | A decimal figure. |
| Value of estimates not won, per month | A money figure. |
Keep going
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