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How much should a commercial roofing company spend on marketing?

Use your job costs, sales history and cash limit to set an all-in marketing ceiling.

By Commercial Rev Engine · Published · Updated October 7, 2026

Start with what a job leaves you, not its headline value.

A $100,000 contract is not $100,000 available for marketing. Subtract job-specific costs such as materials, field labor, rentals and subcontractors. The remaining contribution still has to cover overhead and profit.

Use comparable completed work, a sales history with known outcomes and a cash limit you can fund. The calculator below turns those inputs into a working ceiling—not a recommended spend.

Contribution per won opportunity×Observed qualified-to-won rate×Monthly opportunities within capacity×(1 − retained share)= economics-based ceiling for all acquisition costs

Bring four numbers

  1. Contribution per job: contract revenue minus variable delivery costs.
  2. Your observed close rate: won jobs divided by qualified opportunities from the same older group.
  3. Capacity: how many additional opportunities the team can handle each month.
  4. A cash limit: what you can spend while jobs are still being quoted and paid.

Keep a repair campaign separate from a replacement campaign if the job economics differ. Do not borrow another roofer's close rate to make the budget look affordable.

Commercial roofing budget planner

Use completed records for one comparable cohort. Enter 0 when a real count or cost is zero; leave nothing blank.

The planner does not convert currencies.
Use comparable completed jobs; subtract direct variable delivery costs.
Use one service, territory and source group where possible.
Count distinct wins from the same cohort only.
Use a volume the team can realistically respond to.
Consider response, inspections, estimating and delivery capacity.
Choose your own floor for overhead and operating profit; there is no preset percentage.
Include fixed management fees, recurring tools and other known acquisition charges.
Include fixed fees, media, lead fees and other direct campaign charges.

Your values stay in this page and are not saved or sent by the calculator.

Observed qualified-to-won rate—
Modeled monthly qualified opportunities—
Modeled contribution before marketing—
Economics-based ceiling for all acquisition costs—
Working monthly cap after the cash limit—
Room for variable costs after fixed campaign costs—
Fixed costs above the working cap, if any—

This is a planning scenario based on your inputs, not a sales forecast or a return guarantee. It excludes the company’s other overhead, taxes, financing, working capital and cash-collection timing. A small cohort or zero wins needs context; do not treat its observed rate as a reliable promise of future sales.

Check the whole bill before committing

Include management fees, media, lead charges, production and recurring tools. The amount left after fixed fees is the room for variable campaign costs. If fixed fees exceed the cap, the plan needs changing before launch.

Expected contribution is not cash in the bank. Use the lower cash limit and keep volume within your estimator's capacity. Review the numbers again when more of the original enquiries have reached an outcome.

Download the blank budget worksheet (CSV) →

The CSV is a manual worksheet. Use the calculator above for automatic calculations. Once a campaign runs, compare actual costs per enquiry, inspection and quote.

For assigning the work, use the 90-day plan. For cost inclusions, use the agency comparison questions.

Method reference: SBA's explanation of contribution and break-even. This is a limited marketing scenario, not a full business forecast.