Customer acquisition cost (CAC).
Total sales and marketing spend divided by the number of new customers it produced in the same period.
What is customer acquisition cost?
CAC is what it costs you to win one new customer. Add up ad spend, marketplace lead fees, the share of salary for whoever chases leads, and any software bought specifically to generate work, then divide by new customers acquired in that period.
Why it matters for home service businesses
Track CAC by channel, not just in total. Local Services Ads, paid search, marketplace leads, and referrals rarely cost the same or convert the same, and a blended number hides the channel quietly losing you money. Compare it against lifetime value: below a 3:1 LTV to CAC ratio you are usually buying growth you cannot afford.
How Lakehouse handles it
Every lead carries its source through to the invoice, so you can see spend against revenue by channel. See lead attribution.
See how Lakehouse puts this to work for your shop.
Book a demoSee it on your own jobs.
Book a working session and free business audit with the Lakehouse team. Bring a real job, a real estimate, and a real question about running your business. We will show you how Lakehouse handles it.