Leads don't wait. What's the delay costing?
A lead that gets answered in minutes books. The same lead answered tomorrow shops around. Put your own numbers in; the assumptions are on the table and adjustable.
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This slider is the one assumption in the math. Its starting points (every lead within 5 minutes, about 70% within the hour, 45% the same day, 25% the next day) are my working estimates, not a published statistic. The hard number here comes from the MIT/InsideSales Lead Response Management study (2007): leads called within 5 minutes were 100 times more likely to be reached than leads called at 30 minutes. Set the slider to what you see in your own business.
Estimated revenue lost to slow follow-up
$0/mo
$0 a year · 0 winnable deals going quiet monthly
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How the math works
The calculator compares your month as it runs now with the same month if every lead heard back within 5 minutes. The gap is the number up top. It's built for web-form leads. If most of yours phone you, the Missed Call Calculator fits better.
Deals going quiet = leads × close rate × (100% minus reach)
Lost per month = deals going quiet × average job value
Lost per year = lost per month × 12
- Leads 20, close rate 30%, job $800. Placeholders, not averages. Use real form leads per month (no spam), the share of people you talked to who hired you, and a new customer's usual first job.
- Reach 70%. Each speed sets the slider to my working estimate: 100% for 5 minutes, 70% for the hour, 45% same day, 25% later. They're not a published statistic, so move the slider to what you see.
- Within 5 minutes means everyone is reached. Some leads can't be reached at any speed, like a mistyped number. If you get many of those, your real number is lower.
- Your close rate stays flat. The MIT/InsideSales study under the slider tracked web leads at six companies. Leads called within 5 minutes were also 21 times more likely to qualify than at 30 minutes, but it didn't measure closing, so neither does this. If fast replies close better for you, your real number is higher.
Source: MIT/InsideSales Lead Response Management study (James Oldroyd, 2007), checked Sep 2026.
A worked example
Say a landscaper gets 40 form leads a month and usually replies within the hour. Of the people they talk to, 25% hire them, and a first job averages $1,000.
- Within the hour starts the slider at 70%: 40 × 70% = 28 leads reached.
- They win 28 × 25% = 7 jobs.
- Reaching all 40 would win 40 × 25% = 10.
- The gap is 3 deals going quiet: $3,000 a month, or $36,000 a year.
The slider is the one guess, so try it both ways. At 90%, the gap is 1 job, $1,000 a month. At the same-day start of 45%, it's 5.5 jobs, $5,500 a month. Load this example into the calculator.
How to read your number
Read the yearly figure. The cutoffs are my rule of thumb, not a standard.
Already fast
With the slider at 100%, you reach every lead and the gap is $0. If a test form shows replies inside 5 minutes, you don't need a system for this.
Mostly fine
Don't pay for a system for this. Send form alerts to your phone and reply when you see one, even if it's one line saying when you'll call.
Worth pricing
Get one price for setup plus a year of running it, and hold it against your yearly number. That's how I quote an instant lead reply: a fixed scope after a short call, and a straight answer if the math says skip it.
A real leak
A fast first reply is only the start. Leads who get a quote and go quiet need a follow-up plan too. The follow-up sequence guide lays one out.
How to measure your real reply time
Send yourself a test form. It costs nothing, and it swaps my estimate for your own number.
- Ask a friend to fill out your contact form like a customer would, or do it yourself from a personal email.
- Note the time. Run it once during work hours and once on an evening or weekend.
- Time when the alert reaches whoever answers leads, then when the first real reply arrives. An automatic reply counts if it says what happens next and when.
- Check spam on both ends. If your reply landed there, run the Email Deliverability Check on your domain. If the alert did, mark it as not spam.
- Pick the dropdown row that matches what the lead actually got, not your best day.
For the slider, use your records. Of your last 20 form leads, count the ones you ever spoke or traded messages with: 14 of 20 is 70%. The speed-to-lead guide covers why the first minutes matter.
Questions people ask
How fast should you respond to a web lead? +
Within 5 minutes if you can. In the MIT/InsideSales Lead Response Management study (2007), web leads called within 5 minutes were 100 times more likely to be reached than leads called at 30 minutes. If you can't reply that fast by hand, an automatic reply can answer first and say when you'll call.
How do you calculate what slow lead follow-up costs? +
Multiply your monthly leads by your close rate, by the share of leads you don't reach at your current speed, and by your average job. At 40 leads, a 25% close rate, 30% not reached, and a $1,000 job, that's 3 jobs and $3,000 a month.
Does an automatic reply count as responding to a lead? +
Yes, if it gives the person a next step: when you'll call, a question to answer, or a link to book. An email that only says the message arrived doesn't start a conversation, so I wouldn't count it.
Where do the 100%, 70%, 45%, and 25% reach numbers come from? +
They're my working estimates, not a published statistic. The MIT study shows the odds of reaching a web lead fall sharply between 5 and 30 minutes, but it didn't measure your leads. Count your last 20 form leads, see how many you ever spoke with, and set the slider to that share.
Is an instant lead reply worth paying for? +
It's worth it when a year of the jobs it wins back is worth more than a year of setup and running costs. Use your yearly number here, and remember the slider is a guess. If the calculator says you're fine, believe it.
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Keep measuring
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