Define a useful inquiry before choosing a channel
Write down the services you offer, equipment constraints, practical coverage, answering hours, and capacity for more work. Include scheduled work if you can deliver it. A request for next Thursday can be suitable; an urgent request for equipment you do not have is not.
Then decide what counts as a new request. A missed call and a callback about the same tow are two events in one inquiry. Calls about an existing job, recruitment, or another company's impound yard should not inflate your new-business count.
- Can we perform the requested service with approved equipment?
- Can we cover the pickup and destination at the requested time?
- Is there a genuine request from someone able to arrange the work?
- Who records whether it booked, completed, and was paid?
Compare what you control and what you must verify
Do not assume referrals have no cost or that every motor-club job loses money. Relationship-building takes time; different operators have different costs. Vendor claims about exclusivity, volume, or credits need current written terms. No provider policy is verified by this general comparison.
| Source | Useful when | Check before committing |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search ads | You have an answerable service and a budget for a measured test. | Account access, service/location match, cost, landing page, and conversion definitions. |
| Business Profile and your website | Customers need accurate information and a reliable contact path. | Eligibility, actual services, hours, ownership, and ongoing upkeep. |
| Repair-shop and fleet relationships | You can deliver reliable repeat work for a specific partner. | Buyer needs, response process, payment terms, and actual service capacity. |
| Purchased leads | A provider's terms and economics fit your operation. | Shared/exclusive meaning, billable-call rules, duplicates, disputes, and cancellation terms. |
| Motor-club or dispatch relationships | The agreed work and obligations fit your costs and capacity. | Net contribution, payment timing, service requirements, and opportunity cost. |
Cheap calls can produce expensive jobs
Channel B costs more per inquiry but less per completed job in this example. That still does not prove it is more profitable: compare collected amounts, direct job costs, job mix, and capacity next. Unknown outcomes can change both results. Neither set of numbers is an industry benchmark or a forecast.
| Measure | Channel A | Channel B |
|---|---|---|
| Acquisition expense | $600 | $900 |
| Unique inquiries | 30 | 20 |
| Suitable inquiries | 12 | 16 |
| Completed jobs | 6 | 10 |
| Expense per inquiry | $20 | $45 |
| Expense per completed job | $100 | $90 |
Run one bounded test
Do not test a new channel, a new landing page, new hours, and a new quoting process at once and then attribute the entire result to one change. Sometimes several changes are necessary, but the conclusion should acknowledge that.
If most inquiries are unsuitable, investigate targeting and promises. If suitable inquiries are not booked, inspect handling and availability. If jobs complete but contribution is weak, review the costs and scope. More traffic is not the automatic next step.
- Choose one service and a practical area your team can support.
- Record the current inquiry volume and outcomes as a baseline, including what is missing.
- Set a spending limit, review date, and responsibility for answering and recordkeeping.
- Keep the same outcome definitions across sources and separate callbacks from new requests.
- Review fit and outcomes before changing the budget. Record one change and the evidence behind it.
Use this at your next review
Lead-source decision worksheet
A simple editable text worksheet. Keep completed copies and private customer information in your own approved systems.
- Service, equipment, coverage, hours, and available capacity
- Current sources and what you control for each
- Candidate source; written terms and unanswered questions
- Test period, spending limit, responsible person, and review date
- Unique inquiries / suitable / booked / completed / unknown
- Collected amount, direct costs, acquisition expense, and missing records
- One next decision and the evidence required