Work out a Melbourne plumbing advertising budget
Start with the work you want to win, then calculate the enquiries and budget needed to support it. This plumbing example uses hypothetical inputs you can replace.
The numbers, already filled in
All pre-filled values are hypothetical, client-free planning inputs. Replace them with your own records or explicitly chosen assumptions.
What that comes to
Updates as you type, in your browser. Nothing leaves this page unless you ask us to send you the report.
Monthly ad budget
$4,000
$48,000 over twelve months
Change a number and this link updates with it, so whoever opens it lands on the result you are looking at.
Jobs needed
120
10 a month
Enquiries needed
480
40 a month
Budget as a share of revenue
40%
Advertising only — no agency fee, no tools
Cost to win one job
$400.00
$100.00 per enquiry ÷ 25% close rate
Send me this result
We will turn the numbers above into a PDF with your figures, the workings and what they mean — and hand it straight back to you here, to read or to keep.
Spending 40% of the revenue to get it is unusually high. It normally means either the job value is too low for paid search or the close rate is doing too little work.
What to do with this
- To bill $120,000 you need 120 jobs, which needs 480 enquiries, which costs $48,000 at $100.00 each.
- That is $4,000 a month and 40% of the revenue it is meant to produce. Every job costs $400.00 to win before you have done any of the work.
- Fund the first two months as setup rather than as a twelfth of the year each. Accounts do not arrive at their settled cost per enquiry immediately, and the early figure is always the worse one.
How this was worked out
- Jobs needed
- $120,000 ÷ $1,000.00 = 120 jobs
- Enquiries needed
- 120 ÷ 25% = 480 enquiries
- Total budget
- 480 × $100.00 = $48,000
- Monthly budget
- $48,000 ÷ 12 = $4,000
- Share of revenue
- $48,000 ÷ $120,000 = 40%
The same target under different cost assumptions
| Cost per enquiry | Total budget | Monthly | Share of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| $75.00 — 25% below your input | $36,000 | $3,000 | 30% |
| $100.00 — your figure | $48,000 | $4,000 | 40% |
| $150.00 — your comparison input | $72,000 | $6,000 | 60% |
| $125.00 — 25% above your input | $60,000 | $5,000 | 50% |
Sensitivity examples, not observed client results. The lower and higher rows vary your entered cost by 25%; the comparison row uses your separate input.
Where these numbers come from
Work through the example
In this hypothetical example, an annual revenue target of $120,000 and an average job value of $1,000 require 120 jobs. At an assumed 25% enquiry-to-job rate, that means 480 enquiries. An assumed $100 cost per enquiry produces a $48,000 annual media budget, or $4,000 a month. These are planning assumptions, not a description of a plumbing client.
Apply it to the work you want to win
For a plumbing business, separate the services you want to advertise. Emergency call-outs, blocked drains, hot water and planned installations can involve different job values, schedules and enquiry handling. Run the model with the mix you actually intend to sell. Check that the resulting workload fits the crew and service area, and allow for the calls that do not become paid work.
Replace the example with your own records
Every starting number on this page is hypothetical. None is a client result, an industry average or a quote for your business. The example makes the calculation easy to inspect; the useful version is the one you build from your own records. Change each input and watch how the result responds before using it in a budget conversation.
Keep the reporting scope consistent. Spend, clicks and enquiries should cover the same campaigns and period. Decide what counts as an enquiry, separate duplicates where appropriate, and keep that definition steady when comparing results. A form submission, a connected call, a quote and paid work are different stages. The calculator can perform the arithmetic, but the quality of the conclusion depends on those definitions.
Test more than one assumption. A higher click price, a lower enquiry rate or a slower close rate changes what the same budget can support. Save a conservative scenario alongside the base case, then revisit both when you have more campaign and sales information. Include management fees, job costs and the time between enquiry and payment in your wider cash-flow plan.
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Book a callNo. All starting inputs in this worked scenario are hypothetical. They demonstrate the formula and can be edited. Use your own campaign and sales records to build a plan for your business.
It shows what follows mathematically from the assumptions you enter. Actual results can change with the auction, the website, service demand and follow-up. Revisit the assumptions as records become available.
Ask the next question
The full calculator takes any numbers you like, and these worked pages answer the questions this one tends to raise.
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Now do it with
your real numbers.
Use the example to explore the calculation. To review your own campaign, enquiry handling and booked work together, talk to our team.