How many leads does a plumber or electrician need each month? A simple way to work it out
Short answer. Take your monthly revenue target, divide by your average job value to get jobs needed, then divide by your close rate to get leads needed. A plumber wanting $25,000 a month at a $325 average job and a 60% close rate needs about 128 jobs' worth of enquiries a year from all sources, or roughly 20 to 25 new inbound leads a month on top of repeat and referral work.
The formula
Leads needed per month = (revenue target ÷ average job value) ÷ close rate.
Then subtract the jobs you already get from repeat customers and referrals. What's left is the gap a paid channel has to fill.
Worked example: a Christchurch plumber
- Revenue target: $25,000 a month.
- Average job: $325 (a mix of callouts, cylinder work and small installs).
- Jobs needed: about 77.
- Close rate on inbound urgent calls: 60%.
- Enquiries needed: about 128.
- Already getting from repeat and referral: say 100.
- Gap: about 28 new inbound enquiries a month. That's a Growth plan.
Worked example: a Hamilton electrician
- Revenue target: $18,000 a month.
- Average job: $350.
- Jobs needed: about 51.
- Close rate: 55%.
- Enquiries needed: about 93.
- Repeat and referral: 70.
- Gap: about 23 a month. Starter to Growth.
Worked example: a Wellington handyman
- Revenue target: $12,000 a month.
- Average job: $220.
- Jobs needed: about 55.
- Close rate: 70% (handyman enquiries close well, the homeowner just wants it done).
- Enquiries needed: about 78.
- Repeat and referral: 55.
- Gap: about 23 a month.
Two things that move the answer more than ad spend
Your answer rate and your close rate. Across LeadHive campaigns around 16% of tracked calls go unanswered. If you answer 95% instead of 82%, you need 15% fewer leads for the same revenue. And a 60% close rate versus 40% is the difference between needing 20 leads and needing 30.
What this means when you're choosing a plan
Don't buy more leads than you can answer. A Starter plan at 15 to 25 enquiries a month is plenty for a one-van business that's already got referral work. Growth at 25 to 35 suits a two-van operation or someone building toward a second van. Use the calculator on the pricing page with your own numbers.
Questions people ask
What's a good close rate for tradie leads?
For urgent inbound calls from a dedicated landing page, 50 to 70% is normal if the phone is answered. For shared directory leads it's often 15 to 25%.
What's the average job value for a plumber in NZ?
For callout and repair work, $250 to $450 is typical. Hot water cylinder replacements and bigger repairs push the average up. Use your own invoices from the last three months.
One tradie per trade per area. Check whether yours is still open.
