How to Choose an Electrician Marketing Agency (10 Questions to Ask)

Most agencies pitching electricians sell one of three things: a retainer, a lead package, or a results-based deal. They are not equally risky for you. Here is how each model works and what to ask before you hand over a card.

The three billing models, compared

Retainer: a fixed monthly fee ($1,500–$5,000 is typical) plus ad spend. You pay identically in a great month and a dead one. Fine for a large contractor with a marketing manager; risky for a small crew.

Pay-per-lead: you buy contact records. Often shared with competitors, frequently unqualified, and priced per lead rather than per outcome.

Pay-per-appointment: a one-time setup, then a fee only when a qualified appointment is booked. The marketer carries the performance risk, which is the point.

Ten questions to ask before signing

Ask every one of these, and get the answers in writing:

Are the leads exclusive to me, or shared with other contractors?
What exactly counts as a billable appointment?
Do I pay for reschedules, no-shows, or unqualified people?
How is a lead qualified before it becomes an appointment?
Who owns the ad account, the pixel data, and the website?
How fast is the first follow-up after a lead comes in?
What is your average cost per booked appointment for electricians?
What is the contract length and how do I exit?
Do you work with my direct competitors in my service area?
What happens in month one if nothing books?

What counts as a good cost per appointment?

Trade-services marketing generally produces appointments between $75 and $250+. Anything consistently under $100 for an exclusive, qualified appointment is a strong program.

Ballistic Business clients average $68.52 per qualified appointment. Ask any agency you talk to for their number — an agency that cannot state one is measuring leads, not outcomes.

Red flags

Walk away from any of these:

Long contracts with no performance clause.
Refusal to define 'qualified' in writing.
The agency owns your ad account and will not transfer it.
Reporting that shows impressions and clicks but never booked jobs.
The same leads sold to other electricians in your ZIP code.

Why Ballistic Business works differently

We only work with electricians, and we only get paid when a survey-qualified appointment is booked on your calendar. There is a one-time setup — $500 for Launch, $1,000 for Full System — and your first two or four appointments are free. Dead leads, reschedules, and unqualified people are never billed.