You Don’t Need 20 KPIs. You Just Need the Right 5.
Marketing agencies love throwing dashboards at business owners. But unless you’re a data analyst, most of it is noise. What actually moves your business forward is simpler than most people think.
If you’re running a home service company, you don’t need to track every click, view, or conversion. You need to watch five numbers that tell you, clearly, whether your marketing is driving real results or wasting money.
These five numbers give you control, clarity, and the confidence to make smart decisions (or call BS on a bad marketing partner).
1. Leads by Source
This is the starting point: how many actual leads did you get, and where did they come from?
Too many business owners get vague numbers like “we got you 50 leads this month.” But from where? Google Ads? SEO? Referrals? Facebook? Your own brand name?
Why it matters:
If you don’t know what’s working, you can’t double down - or cut waste.
Track this by:
- Using call tracking numbers per channel
- Tagging web forms by source
- Asking every caller how they found you (and logging it)
2. Cost Per Lead
How much are you paying to get someone to raise their hand? This is your cost per lead (CPL), and it’s a key indicator of marketing efficiency.
If you spent $1,500 on ads and got 30 leads, your CPL is $50. Simple.
But it’s only useful if the leads are real—which is why source tracking is step one.
Benchmarks (home services vary):
- Solid CPL: $25–$100
- High-performing campaigns: <$50
- Over $150? You’d better be closing nearly every one
3. Conversion Rate (Lead to Booked Job)
Leads don’t pay the bills, booked jobs do. You need to know what percentage of leads turn into actual appointments.
If you get 40 leads and 12 of them schedule, your conversion rate is 30%. That tells you a lot:
- Are your CSRs trained well?
- Are your ads bringing in good-fit customers?
- Are you following up fast enough?
Good rule of thumb:
- 20–40% is typical for home services
- Under 15% means something’s broken in your process
- Over 50%? You’re either amazing—or underpricing
4. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
This is where it all comes together. ROAS = revenue generated ÷ advertising spend.
If you spend $2,000 on ads and generate $10,000 in booked work from those leads, your ROAS is 5x. That’s strong.
This number is what separates activity from profitability. High click rates mean nothing if jobs don’t follow.
Make sure you’re only counting revenue from tracked leads, not total revenue.
5. Missed Call Rate
This one surprises people. But in home services, phone calls are still the most valuable lead type, and most businesses miss more than they realize.
If your team misses 15% of incoming calls, and only half of those people call back... you’re losing jobs before they even start.
Fix it by:
- Tracking total calls vs. answered calls
- Using a 24/7 answering service if needed
- Prioritizing fast, real-time response—especially for emergency services
Final Word: Master These 5 and You’re in Control
You don’t need 30 metrics. You just need these five:
- Leads by Source
- Cost Per Lead
- Conversion Rate (Lead to Job)
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
- Missed Call Rate
Track them monthly. Watch the trends. Ask the right questions.
If something’s off, these numbers will tell you exactly where to look.
