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Free calculator · Industry funnels

Advisor calculator: what is a client worth over five years?

In advisory work the first year rarely pays for the effort; renewals do. Put in your funnel, first-year income, renewal income and how many clients renew, and see what a client costs, what they are worth over the years, and how long they take to pay back.

Example numbers - replace with yours

Your result CA / tax firm

Your funnel this month

Stage definitions

Count every stage the same way each month, so the numbers mean the same thing to everyone.

Enquiry
A call, WhatsApp message, form or referral asking about a policy, an investment, a tax or a compliance need.
MQL (marketing-qualified)
An enquiry where the type of work, size of business and budget fit, and who replies.
SQL (sales-qualified)
A meeting held about their need, in person or on a call.
Fee proposal sent
A fee proposal with the fee or premium is sent.
Client signed
Signed, and the first payment made.

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    How this is calculated
    1. Ad enquiries = ad spend ÷ cost per enquiry, or (ad spend ÷ cost per click) × click to enquiry rate. Enquiries = ad enquiries + enquiries from other channels. Spend = ad spend + other channels.
    2. MQLs = enquiries × % MQL. SQLs (meetings) = MQLs × % met. Fee proposals = meetings × % with a fee proposal. Clients = fee proposals × % signed.
    3. Cost per enquiry = spend ÷ enquiries. Cost per meeting = spend ÷ SQLs. Cost per client = spend ÷ clients.
    4. Year-one gross profit per client = first-year fee × gross margin. Year-one profit per client = that − cost per client.
    5. Years to count are whole years, at least 1. Client value = first-year fee + yearly retainer × (r + r² + … + r^(years − 1)), where r = % who renew each year: in year k only r^(k − 1) of the clients are still with you. Gross profit over those years = client value × gross margin. LTV:CAC = that ÷ cost per client.
    6. Still with you in the last year = 100 × r^(years − 1).
    7. Payback: when year one's gross profit covers the cost per client, payback = cost ÷ (year-one gross profit ÷ 12). Otherwise the rest is earned from each later year's gross profit (yearly retainer × r^(k − 1) × gross margin in year k), spread over that year's 12 months. 0 when the cost is 0; never when the years you count do not cover it; no answer when the cost has none.
    8. The month: first-year fee = clients × first-year fee; year-one gross profit = clients × year-one gross profit per client; after marketing = that − spend. Over the years = clients × client value; gross profit after marketing = clients × gross profit over those years − spend.

    Green, amber and red compare each result with the break-even your own numbers imply, never with an outside benchmark. Every starting number is an editable example, not an industry average.

    Questions

    About this calculator

    An MQL is an enquiry where the need, budget and location fit what you offer, from someone who replies. An SQL is a meeting held about their need, in person or on a call. Counting both shows whether you lose clients before the meeting or after the proposal.

    Year one's income, plus the renewal income × (r + r² + r³ + r⁴), where r is the share who renew each year. At 85% renewal, about 52 of every 100 clients are still with you in year five. Change the years to count from 1 to 10.

    Payback uses year one's gross profit first, then each later year's renewals from the clients still with you. If all of that does not cover the cost of winning a client, the client does not pay back within the years you count.

    No. They are starting values so the page is not empty. Replace them with your own from your client list, commission statements or fee register.
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