How many jobs does it take to pay for marketing?
Divide the monthly marketing cost by what one added job leaves you after its direct costs, then round up. A $1,197 plan with $675 left per job needs 2 added jobs a month, and 4 in the first month when the $1,000 setup is included. Enter your own numbers below.
Contractor marketing break-even calculator
Results
The two methods answer different questions. Contribution counts only the cost of doing one more job, so it shows what an added job really leaves you. The net-profit estimate spreads your overhead across every job. It gives a higher job count only when its profit per job is lower than your contribution per job.
What added jobs leave after marketing costs
Missed-call scenario
A missed call is not a booked job. Enter each step separately. The starting values are examples, not measured rates.
How does the calculator work out break-even?
It uses contribution per job: collected revenue minus the direct cost of delivering that one job. The marketing cost divided by that figure, rounded up, is the number of added jobs needed. A second figure uses your net profit margin as a separate, usually stricter, estimate.
- Monthly break-even. Monthly marketing cost ÷ contribution per job, rounded up to a whole job.
- First month. Add the one-time setup fee to the monthly cost before dividing.
- Net-profit estimate. Monthly cost ÷ (average ticket × net profit margin). Use the margin from before this marketing cost.
- Added jobs only. Count jobs that came from the marketing, not every job you finished that month. Count them when the customer has paid.
- Whole-business break-even. If you enter overhead, the tool shows how many total jobs cover overhead plus this plan.
What counts as a direct cost of a job?
Anything you only pay because that job happened: the technician's hours and commission on it, parts and materials, fuel, permits and disposal. Rent, insurance, the dispatcher's salary and truck payments are overhead, because you pay them whether or not the job happens.
What does this calculator not tell you?
It does not predict how many jobs marketing will bring in. It shows the target a plan has to reach at your numbers. The example trades and tickets are illustrations, not regional price data. If one job type swings widely, such as a drain call versus a repipe, run each one separately.
Questions contractors ask about break-even
What is the break-even formula for contractor marketing?
Divide the marketing cost by the contribution from one added job: what you collect minus the direct cost of doing that job. Round up to a whole job. Rent, insurance and office pay stay out, because they do not rise when you complete one more job.
Why not just use my net profit margin?
You can, as a second estimate. Net margin spreads all your overhead across every job, so it usually asks for more jobs than an added job really needs to cover. Take the margin before the marketing cost you are testing, or you count that cost twice.
Does technician pay count as a direct job cost?
Hourly pay, payroll taxes and commission for the hours spent on that job are direct costs. A salaried dispatcher or shop manager is overhead, because that pay does not change when one more service call is completed.
Why is the first month higher?
Month one includes the one-time setup fee. Every Mandile SEO local SEO plan has a $1,000 setup, so the calculator shows the first month and the ongoing months separately.
Do these numbers predict my results?
No. The calculator shows how many added jobs would cover a cost at the numbers you enter. It does not predict how many jobs any marketing will bring in. No one can promise a ranking, a lead count or a date.
Want a second set of eyes on your numbers?
Bring your ticket size and job costs and we will walk through whether a plan can pay for itself at your volume. See the Local SEO & AI Search plans, or read the worked examples for Salem and Keizer and Phoenix and Glendale.