How much revenue are you losing
from slow lead follow-up?
Enter three numbers. See exactly how many leads slip through every month — and what it's costing you.
All enquiries — calls, form fills, DMs, walk-ins
Average revenue from a closed client
How we calculate this
This calculator uses lead contact rate benchmarks from a Harvard Business Review study on lead response time, combined with a conservative 20% close rate assumption.
Contact rate is how often a business actually reaches a lead before they move on. Businesses that respond in under 5 minutes contact ~85% of their leads. Wait 24+ hours and that falls to ~10% — the lead has already moved on or been contacted by a competitor.
Revenue lost is the difference between what you currently earn from contacted leads and what you could earn by responding fast enough to contact 85% of them.
Note: These are estimates based on industry benchmarks. Actual results vary by industry, market, and lead quality.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good lead response time?+
Under 5 minutes is the benchmark. Research from Harvard Business Review shows that businesses responding in under 5 minutes contact approximately 85% of their leads. Wait 30 minutes and that drops to 40%. Wait 24+ hours and you'll reach only around 10% — the rest have moved on or been contacted by a competitor.
How much revenue does slow lead response time cost?+
It depends on your lead volume and deal value, but the loss is significant for most businesses. A company with 50 monthly leads and a $3,000 average deal value that responds in 2–24 hours instead of under 5 minutes loses approximately $8,100/month — $97,200/year — in unrealised revenue.
How do I improve my lead response time?+
The most reliable fix is automated first-response — a system that sends a personalised acknowledgement and follow-up sequence the moment a lead comes in, without requiring human input. This brings effective response time to under 1 minute for every lead, 24/7.
Why do leads go cold after 30 minutes?+
Leads are highest-intent at the moment they reach out. After 30 minutes, their attention has shifted. After 24 hours, many have already spoken to a competitor or simply moved on. The 9× conversion advantage for sub-5-minute response times reflects this window of peak intent.
Want to go deeper?
Read: How Fast Should You Respond to a Lead?
The data, the benchmarks, and a step-by-step system for fixing your lead response time — without hiring more staff.
Read on the blog →