At Buildscout, we’re not reinventing the wheel. We are enabling planning data that makes lead generation predictable, efficient, and incredibly low-effort. With just 15 minutes a day, you can generate enough enquiries to cover your costs for Buildscout alone many times over.
In this blog, we break down exactly what you can get out of Buildscout and what it costs, including the time commitment, upfront financial costs, letters sent, expected enquiries, and how to calculate your potential ROI.
Time Commitment
Just 15 minutes a day is all it takes to review new leads and schedule letters. Over a week, that’s around one hour, and in a month, 4 to 5 hours. Compared to other lead gen activities, like cold calling, this is a huge time saving while still being highly targeted and engaging homeowners who have submitted planning for their projects.
Buildscout Package Costs
With Buildscout there is an upfront cost that will give you access to the platform for 12 months. This includes a full onboarding to make sure your account is set up to get you in front of the right leads as well as support just a phone call or email away. It also includes professionally designed letters that match your branding to make sure your letters have a big impact.
The coverage for each package increases too. Standard has a total of 30 miles coverage, Growth has 60 miles coverage and regional has 120 mile coverage. Unlike competitors, this coverage can be custom drawn on the map, meaning it can cross multiple local authorities if you wanted to.
Potential Monthly Enquiries
By speaking constantly with our customers, we constantly see a 4-8% conversion rate from the letters that are sent. The industry standard is 1%. The reason our conversion rates are good is down to the professionally designed letters included in every package, and the fact that our data is updated daily and our letters are sent daily, meaning you’re first through the door.
As you can see, even small letter volumes generate tangible enquiries because you’re reaching homeowners that have submitted planning for projects that suit your expertise, in the location you want and your business is in front of them before competitors.
Step-by-Step On Calculating Buildscout ROI
To see the real return, it makes sense to look at a full year of sending letters. We’ll use 500 letters per month:
Step 1: Work out yearly enquiries
- 150 letters per month × 12 months = 1,800 letters per year
- 1,800 × 5% response rate = 90 enquiries per year
Step 2: Work out how many jobs you normally win
- Typical close rate = 1 in 4 enquiries
- 90 enquiries ÷ 4 = 23 jobs won per year
Step 3: Multiply by the average revenue per job
- Average cost of a standard home extension: £25,000 and assuming a 10% net profit margin:
- £25,000 × 10% = £2,500 profit per job
- 23 jobs × £2,500 profit = £57,500 annual profit
Step 4: Work out your total yearly costs
- Letter costs: 1,800 letters × £0.90 (Growth plan example) = £1,620
- Buildscout platform cost (Growth plan upfront) = £3,588
- Total annual cost = £5,208
Step 5: Subtract Total Costs From Total Profit
- £57,500 − £5,208 = £52,292 net profit
So at a 10% net profit margin, Buildscout delivers over £52,000 in additional profit and a 10x ROI .
200x Return for Linx Design & Build
Linx Design & Build, who have been with us for over a year now have seen an incredible return on their investment with Buildscout. Linx Design & Build now receives 10 - 20 enquiries a month and regularly win five or more jobs thanks to the quality of Buildscout’s leads. You can read their full story here.
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For just 15 minutes a day and an upfront Buildscout investment, contractors can generate predictable leads and grow their business efficiently all while saving time compared to traditional lead-generation methods.
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