He wants a cost per contract number I don't have for his market

New to all of this so forgive me. What does speed to lead mean here, is it just how fast he calls back?

@rigging yes, minutes between the form fill or call and the first human contact. It gets talked about constantly on the service side because it's the one variable that moves conversion and the agency doesn't own it.

@thatch the thing I'd want to know is whether you can see it. If his CRM logs first touch time and you get read access, then conditions in the proposal are enforceable. If you're taking his word for it every month, you've written a promise you can't defend.

I've been the client in this setup and I was the problem. Sat on leads, blamed the agency, canceled in month four. What would have saved that relationship was the agency sending me a weekly list of leads with time to first call next to each one. Uncomfortable meeting, right outcome.

On quoting contracts, I'd say no. You're selling a number three steps downstream of anything you touch.

Different angle. One wholesaler account for seven months in a market you know isn't a sample you can extend into a metro you've never bought media in. Auction prices, competitor count, the whole thing changes. I'd tell him straight that you need 60 to 90 days to find out what a lead costs there, and price that as a testing phase with a smaller retainer.

@halyard the testing phase is the answer and it also solves @plumb's math problem, because you're not promising 2 contracts out of a budget that probably can't carry them.

One thing on the property management side that translates: every client who demands a guarantee up front is telling you what the fight in month five will be about. I've stopped treating that as a red flag to ignore. @keystone at least owned it, most don't.