Calculator
Garbage lead cost calculator
Adjust your monthly jobs and average job value to estimate what garbage leads cost your roofing business. Every figure is an estimate based on the stated model — the full methodology and every default value are documented below.
Last updated: June 12, 2026Reviewed by the RooferFuel team
Direct Answer
What do garbage leads cost a roofing business?
Garbage leads cost a roofing business the revenue from the real customers they bury. When roughly 8 in 10 inbound leads can't convert, the real homeowners get lost in the noise, and slow follow-up means some are never reached. This calculator estimates that buried revenue by running your real leads through booking and close rates against your average job value — adjust the inputs to model your own numbers.
How much are garbage leads costing you?
In our intake modeling, roughly 8 in 10 inbound leads fail basic qualification (modeling assumption pending publication of our first-party dataset — see methodology). They bury the real customers you never get to. Start with the jobs you actually book.
You stopped chasing the 80% that was never going to buy.
Kill My Garbage Leads →First-party intake model: ~8 in 10 inbound leads fail basic qualification (assumption pending publication of our first-party dataset) · real leads book appointments at 70% · appointments close at 35%. Revenue lost = real customers buried by garbage, run through book → close → job value. See the methodology. Your numbers will vary.
Methodology
How this calculator works
The calculator turns a few inputs into an estimate of the revenue buried by garbage leads. It is a transparent model, not a measurement of your business — your real results depend on your market, offer, pricing, ad spend, and sales process. Here is exactly how it computes each number.
1. Derive total weekly leads
If you don't set total leads manually, the model derives them from the jobs you already close: total = jobs ÷ (real-rate × booking-rate × close-rate). This back-solves the lead volume implied by your current closed jobs.
2. Split garbage vs. real
Total leads are split using the assumed rates: garbage = total × 80%, real = total × 20%. The garbage share is what the system is designed to kill before it reaches you.
3. Run real leads through the funnel
Real leads → appointments = real × 70% (booking rate). Appointments → signed jobs = appointments × 35% (close rate). This produces the closable jobs hidden inside your real-lead pool.
4. Find the buried customers and revenue
Buried closed jobs = closable jobs beyond what you currently close. Revenue lost = buried closed jobs × weeks (4.33/month, 52/year) × your average job value. The headline 'real customers buried per year' is measured at the appointment level.
Default values and assumptions
| Input | Default | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Garbage-lead rate | 80% (8 in 10) | Assumption: first-party intake-modeling figure (see source note below). |
| Real-lead rate | 20% (2 in 10) | Assumption: the remaining share of inbound leads that can convert. |
| Booking rate (real leads → appointments) | 70% | Assumption: midpoint of a roofing-typical 70–85% range for qualified leads. |
| Close rate (appointments → signed jobs) | 35% | Assumption: midpoint of a roofing-typical 30–40% range. |
| Default paid jobs / week | 3 | Default slider input; adjust to your actual booked jobs. |
| Default average job value | $8,500 | Default slider input; adjust to your actual average job value. |
| Weeks per month / year | 4.33 / 52 | Standard calendar conversions used to annualize weekly figures. |
Source of the 8-in-10 assumption
In our intake modeling, roughly 8 in 10 inbound roofing leads fail basic qualification (location, authority, real near-term project, and fit). This is a stated first-party model assumption pending publication of our first-party dataset — not a third-party industry statistic. The qualification criteria behind it are described in our garbage lead definition and qualification checklist. Your actual mix will vary by market and lead source.
All outputs are illustrative estimates, not guarantees of leads, appointments, or revenue. The model uses the assumptions above; substituting your own real rates will change the results. See the full methodology page for how RooferFuel.ai sources data and reports results.
Related Pages
How the numbers workTurn the estimate into booked jobs
Book a free audit. We'll map this model to your actual lead sources and show you where garbage leads are leaking revenue.