You're running a repiping business, but you have no idea whether your marketing dollars are actually bringing in jobs. Without tracking what's working, you're essentially throwing money at ads and hoping something sticks. The difference between a thriving repiping operation and a stagnant one often comes down to one thing: knowing your numbers.
Why Repiping Businesses Need Tight Tracking
Repiping jobs are high-value projects—typically ranging from $8,000 to $25,000 per home, depending on scope and materials. A single customer acquisition mistake or missed lead can cost you thousands in potential revenue. Unlike commodity services, repiping requires careful tracking because:
- Your sales cycle is longer (30–90 days from initial contact to signed contract)
- You're competing with multiple quotes from other contractors
- Customer journey spans phone calls, inspections, estimates, and follow-ups
- Marketing channels perform differently based on local market conditions
Without solid analytics, you won't know whether your Google Local Services Ads, Facebook campaigns, or website traffic are actually converting to booked jobs.
Essential Metrics to Track
Cost Per Lead (CPL)
Calculate this by dividing your monthly marketing spend by the number of qualified leads generated. If you're spending $2,000 monthly on Google Ads and getting 15 leads, your CPL is roughly $133. Track this by source—Google Local Services Ads often cost $40–80 per lead in competitive markets, while organic referrals cost you nothing.
Conversion Rate (Lead to Estimate)
Not every lead books an inspection. Track what percentage of leads actually schedule an in-home estimate. Repiping companies typically see 40–60% of leads converting to scheduled inspections. If you're getting 20 leads monthly but only 8 inspections, you have a qualification or follow-up problem.
Close Rate (Estimate to Contract)
Once you've done the inspection and provided an estimate, how many turn into signed jobs? Track this separately by job size, season, and even which team member conducted the estimate. A healthy close rate for repiping is 50–70%. If yours is below 40%, your estimating or proposal process needs work.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
This is your total monthly marketing spend divided by new customers acquired that month. For repiping, expect CAC between $400–$1,500 per customer, depending on market and job complexity. Your average job value should be at least 5–10x your CAC to maintain healthy margins.
Repeat and Referral Rate
Track the percentage of your revenue coming from repeat customers and referrals. Repiping companies that hit 30–40% of revenue from existing customer relationships have built a sustainable engine—these customers cost nothing to acquire and close faster.
Tools and Setup
Set up a simple spreadsheet or use affordable CRM software like HubSpot (free tier works), Pipedrive ($14/month basic), or Jobber ($25/month). Your system should capture:
- Lead source (Google, Facebook, referral, website, etc.)
- Lead date and estimator assigned
- Inspection scheduled and completed dates
- Estimate amount and date provided
- Contract signed yes/no
- Final job value
If you're running ads, use UTM parameters on your website links so you can track which campaigns drive traffic. Platforms like Facebook and Google Ads have built-in conversion tracking—set up a "lead form submitted" or "phone call" conversion to track what actually happens after someone clicks your ad.
Monthly Review Ritual
Spend 30 minutes monthly reviewing your metrics. Compare this month to the previous month and same month last year. Ask specific questions:
- Which marketing channel brought in the highest-quality leads (best close rate)?
- Did seasonal changes affect lead volume or conversion?
- Are estimator close rates consistent, or is there a performance gap?
- What's your average time from initial lead to signed contract?
Small changes compound. If you increase your close rate by 10% without increasing marketing spend, you've essentially increased revenue without higher costs.
Getting Found and Listed
Listing your repiping services on platforms like Mercoly helps you get discovered by homeowners actively searching for pipe replacement work in your area, while simultaneously giving you more trackable lead sources to analyze.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How long should I test a new marketing channel before deciding it's not working? Give any new channel at least 20–30 qualified leads before pulling the plug; repiping's long sales cycle means meaningful data takes time to surface.
Q: Should I track leads that call versus fill out a web form differently? Yes—phone leads often close faster and at higher rates than web forms, so track conversion separately to understand which channel truly performs best.
Q: What's a realistic close rate for residential repiping estimates? Most established repiping companies see 50–65% close rates; below 50% suggests your estimates are high, your communication isn't clear, or you're not prequalifying leads tightly enough.
Start tracking these metrics this week—your next quarter of growth depends on data you're not yet collecting.