Measuring Your Route Marketing ROI Is so Important
Most route marketers “measure” success by donuts delivered and smiles received. That’s not ROI—that’s snack distribution. In disaster restoration, the only way to cut through the noise of fifty other companies making the rounds is to actually track what pays and what doesn’t.
And no, you don’t need a Wall Street MBA. You just need a notepad, a CRM, and the discipline to write things down before your next coffee.
- Contacts Made
How many agents, plumbers, or property managers did you actually see this week? Not how many you “meant” to see. Face-to-face. Handshake. Eye contact.
Target: 50–75 visits per week. If you’re not out there, someone else is.
- Follow-Ups Scheduled
Every visit should end with a next step: coffee, a checklist, a training, a lunch. If you’re just saying “hi” and walking away, you’re playing checkers in a chess game.
Goal: 60% or more of visits should create a follow-up.
- Referrals Received
Count every job tied to a referral partner—plumber, agent, manager. Was it their phone call, their email, or their “Hey, I gave your number to a client”?
Goal: 8–15 qualified referrals per week in an active market.
- Referral Source Retention
Track who keeps sending work. If a partner drops from 2 referrals a month to zero, you didn’t just get unlucky—you got ghosted.
Goal: Retain 80%+ of active partners year over year.
- Conversion Rate
Out of all the referrals you got, how many became paying jobs? Sometimes a homeowner decides to “let it dry.” (Spoiler: it won’t.)
Goal: Win 70% of referred opportunities. Anything less than that and maybe your sales associate needs training.
- Revenue per Source
Not all partners are equal. One plumber may generate $150,000 in a year, another $7,500. Which one gets the steak dinner? Exactly.
A-Tier Partner: $100k–$250k/year
B-Tier Partner: $35k–$100k/year
C-Tier Partner: <$25k/year (stop babysitting these like they’re A-Tiers).
- Cost of Route Marketing
Track your real spend: marketer’s comp, gas, meals, leave-behinds, referral fees paid out, even the pens you “accidentally” keep. And don’t forget your payroll costs.
Example: Spend $3,500 ? bring in $70,000 revenue. At 50% gross margin, that’s $35,000 gross profit. Subtract your $3,500 marketing? You still bank $31,500 contribution.
- Cost Per Acquired Job
Your cost to land a paying job.
Target: ? $300–$750.
If the average job is $7,500–$15,000, that’s a very healthy return.
- Partner ROI
If it costs you $500–$1,000 to “activate” a new referral partner (lunches, visits, time), and they generate $60,000–$200,000 a year in revenue? That’s a 60:1 to 200:1 lifetime value ratio. That’s why route marketing is a gold mine when done right.
- Top-of-Mind Score
Ask referral partners directly: “If you had a water loss today, who would you call first?” If it’s not you, take that as a polite punch in the gut.
Goal: Be named first or second more than 80% of the time.
Let’s Put It All Together
Route marketing ROI isn’t magic—it’s math disguised as relationship-building. Use a simple dashboard with these columns: Contacts, Follow-Ups, Referrals, Conversions, Revenue, and Cost. And I think I need to add… Use a CRM!
Nationally recognized coach, consultant, trainer, and speaker
Creator of the renowned PREP™ pre-disaster program
Co-owner of The CREST Network, LLC
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