What contractors ask about getting estimates booked.

How much do hardscape leads cost?

From Facebook ads, we usually see hardscape leads cost $40 to $60 each, depending on the area and the project. Leads from lead sites can look cheaper per name, but most of them are shared: the same homeowner is sent to several companies.

Cost per lead is the wrong number to judge on. A cheap lead who never picks up costs more than a dearer one who books an estimate. The number that matters is what you pay per booked estimate, and then per signed job.

That’s why Digifyne charges per qualified estimate, not per lead: from $100, plus your own ad budget.

Are Angi or HomeAdvisor leads worth it for hardscapers?

For small jobs they can be. For bigger outdoor projects, many contractors find them hard to turn into work, because most of the leads are shared.

A shared lead means the same homeowner is sent to several contractors at once. You’re racing them to the phone, the homeowner gets several calls in an hour, and you pay for the lead even when someone else wins the job.

The difference with your own ads is that the homeowner responded to your work, in your area, and nobody else gets their details. You also keep every contact, even if you stop advertising.

Do Facebook ads work for landscapers and hardscapers?

Yes, when the ads show real finished projects to homeowners in your service area, and someone replies within minutes. Most homeowners don’t search for a retaining wall or a new patio until they’re ready. Facebook and Instagram reach them while they’re still picturing it.

Where it goes wrong is after the form. A homeowner fills it in, nobody calls for a day, and they’ve moved on. The ads were fine; the follow-up wasn’t.

One hardscape company we work with had no Facebook presence at all. In their first July with us they booked 30+ estimates in a single month.

Pay per appointment or pay per lead: which is better for contractors?

Paying per appointment means you only pay when a real homeowner books a time to meet you. Paying per lead means you pay for every name, real or not, and you do the chasing.

• Per lead: cheaper per unit. You carry the risk of junk, wrong numbers and people who never answer, and you need someone calling fast.
• Per appointment: more per unit, but the agency carries the chasing and the junk. Agree in writing what counts as a qualified appointment before you start.

If you don’t have someone who can call every new lead within 5 minutes, paying per appointment usually works out cheaper.

What’s a good cost per booked estimate?

Work it backwards from what one estimate is worth to you: your average job value times the share of estimates you sign.

A good cost per booked estimate is one that sits comfortably below that number, after you’ve allowed for your margin. The bigger your jobs and the more estimates you sign, the more an estimate is worth paying for.

That’s also why job size matters. Below about $5,000 a job, the margin on the work you win rarely covers what it took to win it. That’s why we work with contractors whose jobs run into the thousands.

Why don’t my leads answer the phone?

Usually because they were called too late, they filled in forms for several companies, or it was never a real project.

• Call within 5 minutes. After an hour, most homeowners have spoken to someone else or lost interest.
• Text straight away if they don’t pick up: who you are and why you called.
• Keep trying for 3 days: morning, afternoon and evening. One call isn’t enough.
• Cover evenings and weekends. Lots of homeowners fill in forms after 5 pm.
• Ask a few questions on the form (do they own the home, what’s the project, where is it) so renters and tire kickers drop out before you call.

How fast should I call back a new lead?

Within 5 minutes. The first company to reach a homeowner has the best chance of booking the estimate. A study in Harvard Business Review found companies that replied within an hour were nearly 7 times as likely to qualify the lead as those that waited even an hour longer (“The Short Life of Online Sales Leads”, 2011).

That’s why our setter replies to every homeowner in under 5 minutes and follows up until they book.

Want estimates booked for you?

We work with one company per trade in each area. Answer a few questions and see if yours is open.