How to read your numbers
Most contractors set a marketing budget by gut feel: whatever last year's was, or whatever's left over. This calculator flips it. Your revenue goal decides the budget, not the other way around, and the math between them is just a few numbers you already live with every day.
If the jobs number surprised you, your average job size is doing more work than you thought. Trades with big tickets need shockingly few jobs to hit big goals, which is why lead quality matters more than lead volume for remodelers, pool builders, and addition contractors.
If the leads number scared you, look at your set and close rates before you look at your wallet. Nudging either one up cuts the leads you need fast. That's answer speed, review strength, and lead exclusivity, all fixable, all part of the engine. It's the cheapest budget cut you'll ever make.
The budget is the honest version. A painter in a mid-size market and a roofer in a metro pay very different prices for the same-quality lead. Anyone who quotes you one number without knowing your trade and market is guessing. We'd rather show you the math and then pull your market's real numbers on a free strategy call.