The six models at a glance
| Model | You pay when | Who finds the homeowner | Risk sits with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay per booked appointment | A qualified homeowner is booked on your calendar | The vendor | Mostly the vendor |
| Pay per shown appointment | Your rep actually meets the homeowner | The vendor | The vendor |
| Pay per lead | A name and number come in | The vendor, you do the rest | You |
| Flat weekly or monthly program | The week or month starts | The vendor | You, unless there is a written floor |
| Managed caller team | The month starts, per caller | Callers working a list | You |
| Ads in your own ad account | Meta bills ad spend, the vendor bills its fee | Your ads, run by the vendor | Depends on how the fee is set |
Pay per booked appointment
Billing trigger. A homeowner who passed the vendor's checks is booked on your calendar. You are billed whether or not they answer the door, unless the contract says no-shows are replaced.
What exclusive can mean. Usually that the appointment is booked for you alone. Ask whether the homeowner was told other roofers would call.
Who it fits. Owners with a closer who can run appointments every day and want to pay for a calendar, not a list.
Ask. What makes an appointment count? What happens on a no-show or a cancellation? Is it ever shared or resold?
Pay per shown appointment
Billing trigger. Your rep meets the homeowner at the property. Bookings that fall through are not billed.
What exclusive can mean. Often one roofer per market or per ZIP. Get the area in writing.
Who it fits. Owners who have been burned by no-shows and want the vendor to own the confirm step.
Ask. Who confirms the visit happened, you or the vendor? How long do you have to dispute one?
Pay per lead
Billing trigger. A form fill or a call comes in. Whether it turns into a visit is on you.
What exclusive can mean. Not resold to other roofers. Some leads are sold to several companies at once, and the homeowner expects several calls.
Who it fits. Roofers with an in-house team that calls back in minutes and books its own inspections.
Ask. How many companies get the same lead? Can you return bad numbers and out-of-area leads? How fast does the lead reach you?
Flat weekly or monthly program
Billing trigger. The calendar. You pay for the period, not for each appointment.
What exclusive can mean. Usually one roofing contractor per market for as long as you pay.
Who it fits. Owners who want a set budget and a vendor that commits to a weekly or monthly floor in writing.
Ask. Is there a written minimum, and what happens if they miss it? Is it month to month? Do you count booked, shown or delivered?
Managed caller team
Billing trigger. A flat fee per dedicated caller, per month. The callers work a homeowner list, often your own past customers, storm areas or old estimates.
What exclusive can mean. The caller works only for you. The list may not be.
Who it fits. Roofers who already have a homeowner list worth calling and want someone dialing it every day.
Ask. Whose list is it, and who keeps it? How are calls recorded and reviewed? What counts as a set inspection?
Ads in your own ad account
Billing trigger. Two bills. Meta (or Google) bills you the ad spend directly, at cost. The vendor bills its fee, per appointment, per lead or monthly.
What exclusive can mean. The ads, audiences and results are yours. Nobody else buys from that account.
Who it fits. Owners who want to see exactly what was spent and keep everything if they change vendors. More on Facebook ads for roofers.
Ask. Do I own the ad account and the ad history? What do I keep if I leave? How is the vendor's fee set?
Starweb Digital runs this model. We run the ads in your own ad account, Meta bills you the ad spend at cost, and you pay us per appointment. The price is quoted on a call. See pay per appointment.
How to compare prices
Prices are not like for like. A booked appointment, a shown inspection, a lead and a caller-month are different units. Divide each price by your close rate to get cost per sale. The method is on the cost page.
Booked, shown and delivered are three different points. Booked means a time is on your calendar. Shown means your rep met the homeowner. Delivered can mean either, so ask which. The standard we use is on qualified appointment.
"Exclusive" is not one thing. One contractor per ZIP, one per market, and not resold are three different promises. Get the one you are paying for in writing.
Questions to ask any company
- What exactly triggers the bill: a lead, a booking or a visit?
- What counts as a qualified appointment, in writing?
- Is anything shared or resold to other roofers?
- What happens on a no-show or a cancellation?
- Is there a contract, a minimum or a retainer?
- Who owns the ad account and the ad history?
- What do I keep if I leave?
The full list is on the vetting checklist. If you want more appointments without changing vendors, start with how to get more roofing appointments.
FAQ
Pay for the thing you can count. For most roofers with a closer ready to run appointments, that is pay per booked or shown appointment, because the vendor carries the risk of a homeowner who never books. Pay per lead fits roofers with a fast in-house callback team.