What does one real appointment cost you to make?
Hire a setter at $18 an hour, pay the commissions, add an agency, an ad budget and a CRM — then count how many homeowners actually open the door. Every number below is yours to change.
Doing it yourself, every month
- Appointment setter wages$18/hr × 40 hrs a week$3,120
- Payroll taxes & overhead12% on top of wages$374
- Setter commissions$25 × 15 booked — no-shows included$375
- Marketing agency retainerdue on the 1st, good month or bad$2,500
- Ad spendpaid to Google and Meta$3,000
- CRM, dialer & textingthe software the setter lives in$297
- Your time managing it3 hrs a week × $75$975
15
booked
8
actually happen
7
no-shows you paid for
Your cost per appointment that actually happens
$1,290
Before recruiting and training a setter, and before the month it takes them to book anything.
In the Handshake Program
- The setter, payroll and commissionsInside the program
- Agency, ad spend and creativeInside the program
- CRM, app and confirmationsInside the program
- Ownership + both decision-makers verifiedEvery appointment
- No-showsNever billed to you
- Your timeShow up and measure
Bring $1,290 to the call. We'll put our number for your trade and area right next to it, and you decide.
Check if my area is openAnd if you skip the setter? Here's what's left.
Buying shared leads
Angi, Thumbtack, HomeAdvisor
- $85–$150 a lead (industry pricing, 2026)
- Sold to 3–4 contractors at the same time
- 6–12% of shared leads close
- You still need someone calling inside five minutes
Hiring a marketing agency
Retainer plus your ad budget
- $2,500–$5,000 a month for home services (2026)
- Due on the 1st whether anyone showed up or not
- They hand you leads — calling, booking and confirming is on you
- Reports full of clicks, not kitchen tables
Same goal. Very different week.
| Question | Setter + agency | Shared lead vendors | The Handshake Program |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who calls the homeowner | Your setter — if they're on shift | You, racing three other contractors | Us, in under 5 minutes, 7 days a week |
| Ownership & both decision-makers | Only if your setter asks | Not checked | Verified on every appointment |
| Who else gets the homeowner | Nobody | 3–4 competitors | Nobody — exclusive |
| When nobody's home | You paid the ads, the wage and the commission | You paid for the lead anyway | You never pay for a no-show |
| What you manage | A hire, an agency, a CRM and the gaps between them | Your inbox and a lot of voicemails | Your calendar |
| Contract | Payroll, plus the agency's terms | Subscriptions and minimums | No long-term contract |
Fair questions.
Where do these numbers come from?
The wage is the $18 an hour a setter typically starts at. Payroll overhead covers the employer's share of FICA, unemployment and workers' comp. The agency range ($2,500–$5,000 a month) and shared-lead prices ($85–$150) are 2026 industry figures for home services. The funnel numbers — cost per lead, how many your setter books, how many actually happen — are typical for high-ticket trades. Every one of them is a slider, so put in yours.
Why don't you show your price here?
Because a pool appointment and a bathroom appointment aren't the same product, and a price without your trade and area attached would be wrong for most people reading it. On the call you get the exact number for yours — next to the one this page gives you.
Isn't a full-time setter overkill?
Maybe — drag the hours down. But somebody has to answer inside five minutes, seven days a week, or the leads you paid for go cold. Part-time setters miss the evenings and weekends, which is when homeowners fill out forms.
Bring your number to the call.
We'll put ours for your trade and area right next to it. If it doesn't make sense, you'll know in 30 minutes.
Check if my area is open