Free tool · Lead gen efficiency calculator
What can you afford to pay for a lead, an MQL or a customer?
Most teams set their CPA target for leads or MQLs in one of three ways: a round number that feels right, an industry benchmark, or whatever the account delivered last quarter. None of those know anything about your business.
A lead only has a right price once you match it to your own data and profitability: what a deal is worth, how much of it is profit, and how many leads turn into customers. Enter those numbers below and see the maximum you can pay at every stage of your funnel, plus a target that leaves room for profit.
Break-even CPA at every stage
The ceiling for lead, MQL, SQL and closed deal. Spend more and the account loses money.
Target CPA at every stage
The figure to bid and report against, based on how much profit you will spend to win a customer.
Break-even and target ROAS
The return your campaigns need, for platforms and reports that work in ROAS.
Revenue from one closed deal. Use first-year value if it recurs.
What is left of the deal value after delivery costs, before ad spend.
The share of that profit you will spend to win the customer.
Enter your numbers above to see your break-even and target levels.
Your break-even and target levels
| Stage | Break-even | Target |
|---|
How to use these numbers
- Set your campaign target to the target CPA for the deepest stage your platform can optimise on. If you only track leads in Google Ads, that is the lead row.
- Treat the break-even figure as a hard limit. If an account runs above it for a full sales cycle, each customer costs more than the profit they bring.
- Check the conversion rates against your CRM every quarter. A small drop in the close rate lowers every CPA above it.
- Judge channels on the deepest stage you can measure. A cheap lead that never becomes an MQL is not cheap.
These numbers tell you what you can afford to pay. They don't tell you how to structure the campaigns to hit them. That part needs a strategist.
Book Your Free Strategy Call →These are planning estimates, not guarantees. They rely on the deal value, margin and conversion rates you entered, so validate them against your own CRM data and sales cycle before committing spend.