The number that matters
Do you know what an acquired matter actually costs your firm?
Evaluate the channel on what it costs to retain a client, including intake.
Planning estimates are not return guarantees.
Your numbers, your model · No projections sold as forecasts · No obligation
Why lead price misleads
The cheapest inquiry is routinely the most expensive matter.
A cheap lead price hides an expensive acquisition cost.
Intake labour is left out of the maths entirely.
The channel is judged on lead count rather than on economics.
How the model is built
We assemble the arithmetic from the figures your firm already holds.
No projections, no promised return. A structure for comparing what things really cost.
- 01
Estimate before launch
Use your own historical conversion rate, not an industry figure.
- 02
Measure after delivery
Replace the estimate with the outcomes your intake reports.
- 03
Decide with numbers
Continue, adjust the criteria, or stop, on the basis of the economics.
The planning model
Evaluate acquisition through retained-client cost
- 01
A planning method
Price per inquiry divided by your inquiry-to-client rate estimates lead spend per retained client.
- 02
The full picture
Intake cost and case economics belong in the calculation, not just media.
- 03
A review cadence
Recalculate as real outcomes replace assumptions.
Illustrative planning arithmetic
The calculation, without a performance promise
| Input | Illustrative figure |
|---|---|
| Price per qualifying inquiry | Agreed with your firm |
| Inquiry-to-client rate | Your firm’s own historical rate |
| Lead spend per retained client | Price ÷ conversion rate |
| Intake and case costs | Added by your firm |
Illustrative example. Not a record of past performance or results.
Have your own inquiry-to-client rate? Use it to test the proposed price before approving spend.
09 - Start here
Assess acquisition economics before committing spend.
Tell us the matters and market, then provide the capacity and budget needed to frame a quote. No return or retained-client outcome is promised.
- 01
Economic scope
- 02
Conversion context
- 03
Planning inputs
- 04
Review contact
Ready to use your own numbers
The data needed for an honest estimate
This is for you if
- A known inquiry-to-client conversion rate
- Willingness to include intake cost
- Decisions made on economics
- Comfort revisiting the numbers openly
This is not for you if
- You want a projected return on spend.
- You cannot share intake outcomes for delivered inquiries.
- You prefer to judge sources on per-lead price alone.
Questions about return
All questions for this offer →- What return can we expect?
- None is promised. The method estimates spend per retained client using your own conversion rate. Read the full answer
- Does a lead mean a case?
- No. That is precisely why the conversion rate belongs in the calculation. Read the full answer
Next step
Model the channel with your firm’s real intake history.
Bring your historical conversion rate, intake cost, target matters, capacity, and budget. We will scope the acquisition inputs; your firm decides whether the economics are acceptable.