Lead cost calculator: cost per acquisition for purchased leads
A lead cost calculator shows what each sale or signed case costs once returns and conversion rates are applied. Cost per acquisition for purchased leads equals cost per lead, times one minus the returnReturnA buyer's request for credit on a lead that fails agreed standards, such as a disconnected number, a duplicate or a lead outside the filters. Glossary rate, divided by the contact rate, the appointment rate and the close or sign rate. Enter your own figures; the calculator assumes no rates.
Enter your own cost per lead, conversion rates and return rate to see what each sale or signed case really costs.
Use the calculatorCalculator
Results show a dash until the inputs they need are filled in. Cost is in units of your own currency.
Results
- Effective cost per delivered lead, after returns
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- Leads needed per sale
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- Cost per contacted lead
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- Cost per appointment
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- Cost per acquisition (per sale)
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Formula: cost per acquisition = cost per lead × (1 − return rate) ÷ contact rateContact rateThe share of leads a buyer or its client actually reaches by phone, text or email. Glossary ÷ appointment rate ÷ close or sign rate. Every step is under the formulas.
The formulas
Rates are entered as percentages and used as decimals (50% is 0.5).
- Effective cost per delivered lead = cost per lead × (1 − return rate)
- Cost per contacted lead = effective cost per delivered lead ÷ contact rate
- Cost per appointment or qualified claimant = cost per contacted lead ÷ appointment or qualification rate
- Cost per acquisition (sale or signed case) = cost per appointment or qualified claimant ÷ close or sign rate
- Leads needed per acquisition = 1 ÷ (contact rate × appointment or qualification rate × close or sign rate)
Worked example
Illustrative numbers, not prices or benchmarks. Say a lead costs 100 units and 10% of leads are returned. The effective cost per delivered lead is 90 units. With a 50% contact rate, each contacted lead costs 180 units. With a 40% appointment rate, each appointment costs 450 units. With a 25% close rateClose rateThe share of leads worked that become closed deals, such as sold jobs or signed cases. Glossary, each sale costs 1,800 units, and you need 20 leads per sale.
How to read each output
Effective cost per delivered lead is what an average lead costs once returns are credited. Compare suppliers on this, not on price alone.
Leads needed per sale or signed case is how many leads your team must work for one win. Plan call capacity and test volume around it.
Cost per contacted lead is the cost of a real conversation. If it is high, check speed to first call and call attempts first.
Cost per appointment or qualified claimant is the cost of a prospect your sales or intakeIntakeThe process a law firm or its intake team uses to screen a potential client, collect the facts of the accident and injury, and decide whether to take the case. Glossary team can act on.
Cost per acquisition is the full cost of one win. Set it against the revenue or fee a win brings.
Which filters move each rate
Summit Leads buyers set filters and daily caps per campaign. Each tends to move a different line.
- Sub-type (roofing, flooring, siding and gutters, bathroom renovation, bathroom and windows; car, motorcycle, commercial vehicle / truck or rideshare accident) shapes the later rates, because each fits your offer or firms differently.
- States or ZIP codes keep leads inside the areas you serve, which lifts later rates and cuts returns.
- Homeowner status moves appointment and close rates in home improvement.
- Injury and liability drive MVA qualification and sign rates: a documented injury, clear or favorable liability, and no attorney already retained.
- Recency mostly moves contact rate.
- Daily caps match volume to your calling capacity, so leads do not wait and contact rate holds.
Why returns change effective cost
Returned leads are not paid for, so the same price can mean different real costs. A lower price with no accepted returns can cost more per sale than a higher price with clear return terms. With Summit Leads, return terms are discussed on the onboarding call and agreed before going live. See lead returns for how returns work.
Using the numbers in a small test
Before a test, enter the rates you expect and note the leads needed per win. Size the test to produce a few wins, with a daily cap your team can call quickly.
Track every stage for every lead, then enter the real rates. If cost per acquisition works, scale in steps. If not, find the stage that dropped and change the matching filterFilterA rule that decides which leads a buyer is offered, based on fields such as vertical, sub-type, state, ZIP code, homeownership or accident details. Glossary or your process.
Buying from Summit Leads
Summit Leads is a real-time ping/post lead supplier for aggregators, lead-generation companies and buying desks, in home improvement and MVA. Before a test, Summit checks for an active supplier in your states.
- No setup fee and no monthly fee. Pay only for leads delivered that match your filters.
- Start with a small test volume and scale when the numbers work.
- MVA and home improvement leads are exclusive by default: each lead is sold to one buyer. Shared delivery is available if a buyer asks for it.
- Return terms are discussed on the onboarding call and agreed before going live.
- Rates are discussed on a call and terms are agreed during onboarding. Pricing is never published.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate cost per acquisition for purchased leads?
Divide the effective cost per delivered lead by contact rate, then by appointment or qualification rate, then by close or sign rate.
Why does the calculator start empty?
Prices and rates vary by buyer, sub-type, geography and team, and Summit Leads does not publish pricing. Enter figures from your own campaigns.
How do returns change my cost per lead?
Returned leads are not paid for, so the effective cost per delivered lead is the price times one minus the return rate. With Summit Leads, return terms are agreed on the onboarding call.
Which rate should I work on first?
Usually contact rate, because every later stage depends on it. Filters then shape the later rates.
Can I use this calculator for MVA leads?
Yes. The MVA preset changes the labels to qualified claimant and signed case. The formulas stay the same.
How many leads should a first test include?
Enough to see a few wins at your expected rates. Use the leads needed output as a guide.
Request lead supply
Tell us the verticals you buy, the states you cover, your daily volume and how you take delivery.
Start small, with no long-term commitment
- No long-term contract. Pause or stop at any time.
- No setup fee and no monthly fee. You pay only for leads delivered that match your filters.
- Start with a small test volume and scale when the numbers work.
- MVA and home improvement leads are exclusive by default: each lead is sold to one buyer.
- Return terms are agreed on the onboarding call, before you go live.
Or write to team@summitleads.ai. We reply by email.
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Related in the lead gen guide: Cost per lead: formula and how to calculate it. Related tools: Leads calculator, Break-even cost per lead calculator.