ResourcesArticle
Old leadsHow much revenue is sitting in your old lead database?
Josh RidenerFounder and CEO, ScaleLayer · Franklin, TNUpdated Oct 19, 2026Article
Multiply your old leads by a 2% to 6% hand-off rate, then by an 85% show rate, your close rate and your average job. With 5,000 old leads, a 4% hand-off rate, a 25% close rate and a $10,000 average job, that's about $425,000 waiting to be recovered.*
On this page8 sections
01 · The math
The math, with numbers you already have
You already have everything you need. Pull the number of old leads in your system, your close rate on leads that actually sit down with your team, and your average job.
Then run it through this:
Old leads × hand-off rate × 85% show rate × your close rate × your average job
The hand-off rate is the share of old leads that come back ready for the next step your team wants, like an estimate, a call, a live transfer or a meeting on your calendar. It's a hand-off rate, not a close rate. Your close rate is its own number, and you supply it.
The 85% show rate builds in the people who say yes and then don't show up, so the number stays realistic.
02 · Revenue
Revenue waiting to be recovered
Here's how the math runs on a sample list. The numbers in the first column are yours. The rates in the second column are ours.
| Line | Your number | Our number |
|---|---|---|
| Old leads | 5,000 | |
| Hand-off rate (Middle) | 4% = 200 hand-offs | |
| Show rate | 85% = 170 held appointments | |
| Close rate | 25% = 42.5 jobs | |
| Average job | $10,000 | |
| Revenue waiting to be recovered | $425,000 |
Old leads
5,000Your number
Hand-off rate (Middle)
4% = 200 hand-offsOur number
Show rate
85% = 170 held appointmentsOur number
Close rate
25% = 42.5 jobsYour number
Average job
$10,000Your number
Revenue waiting to be recovered
$425,000Your number
We plan with three hand-off tiers: Low 2%, Middle 4% and High 6%. On the same list that's $212,500, $425,000 or $637,500.
03 · The gap
Count the gap first
Before you trust any number, do a quick count. Pull every lead that came in over the last 12 months. Then count how many were still in a real two-way conversation with your team after the first week.
If the second number is a lot smaller than the first, the difference is your gap. Those are leads you already paid for that stopped hearing from you, and they're where the revenue in the formula above comes from.
04 · Which leads
Which old leads are worth working?
Start with leads you generated yourself, where the person gave you consent to contact them, and where things stalled because follow-up fell off. Leave out bought or resold lists.
In home services, that usually looks like:
- the roof estimate from after a hail storm that never got a second visit
- the 8-window quote that went quiet after the homeowner said "let me talk to my spouse"
A message from Sarah, our AI sales agent, might read:
Example
"Hi Dana, it's Sarah, the AI assistant with [Your Co.]. You asked about replacing those 8 windows back in the spring. Is that still on your list, or did you get it handled?"
If the person still needs the work, that's a conversation worth having. If they don't, you clean up your list.
05 · Why it stays
Why the money stays there
Plenty of tools text back fast. Fewer keep the conversation going.
A lot of follow-up is built for the first few days. A lead who wasn't ready in week one gets a couple more texts, maybe a call, and then nothing. What brings an old lead back is a real two-way conversation that picks up the question they actually had, like timing, cost or whether their spouse is on board, and gets them to the person who can answer it.
That's what we mean by Speed to Conversation. Sarah, our AI sales agent, gets every lead, new or years old, into a real two-way conversation in 30 to 60 seconds, 24/7, and keeps following up until they're ready, or tells you they're not. Then she hands them to your team.
06 · Keep your tools
You don't need a new system to find out
Maybe you're thinking, "we already have systems that do this." Good, keep them. Anything you don't convert, we capture and work for you.
We fit into the systems, workflows and AI tools you've worked hard to set up. Nothing changes on your end. We adapt to how you work. There's no platform to learn. You won't build campaigns, fix anything or figure it out.
Every customer gets two real ScaleLayer people and a team of five AI agents. They manage everything and keep optimizing it for you. Your part is one kickoff call and a short setup form, your lead list and how you want hand-offs to happen, and your OK before launch. We're live in a week, and most of that is texting registration, not your time.
See how it works on our fully managed page.
07 · What you'd pay for
What you'd pay for
Get results or don't pay. You only pay for qualified hand-offs.
A qualified hand-off is a booked appointment or estimate on your calendar, a scheduled callback with a lead who asked for one, or a live transfer to your team, and it meets the qualification rules we agree on up front.
There's no retainer, no seat fees, no per-message charges and no software subscription. We set the rate on the call.
08 · FAQ
Questions
Multiply your old leads by a planning hand-off rate, an 85% show rate, your close rate and your average job. The Opportunity Snapshot does the math for you in about 30 seconds.
We plan with Low 2%, Middle 4% and High 6%. These are hand-off rates, meaning the share of old leads that come back ready for the next step, not close rates. They're the rates we use to size a list.
No. Keep it. We fit into the systems, workflows and AI tools you already have, so there's no new software for your team. Anything you don't convert, we capture and work for you, and the ready leads go to your team as hand-offs.
Leads you generated yourself, with consent to contact them, that stalled because follow-up fell off. Leave out bought or resold lists.
You only pay for qualified hand-offs. There's no retainer, no seat fees, no per-message charges and no software subscription, and we set the rate on the call.
*Hand-off and show rates are our planning assumptions. Your lead count, close rate and average job come from you.
See the conversation for yourself.
Text START to (629) 265-0095 and see how Sarah holds a real conversation.
Text SarahRun the math on your leads.
Old leads or new leads. See what a conversation is worth before you talk to anyone.
Opportunity Snapshot