How to Audit Your Marketing Spend in 30 Minutes

Why Most Wholesalers Waste Their Ad Budget

Every month I pull 8 numbers from my CRM and my ads manager. Takes me about 20 minutes. Last month I found a campaign that was getting me cheap leads but terrible quality — once I cut it, my cost per contract dropped by 40%. That's the kind of thing you can only catch when you're actually tracking this stuff. Here's how I do it.

Step 1: Pull Your Numbers (5 min)

You need 8 numbers. That's it. Get them from your CRM and ads manager.

• Marketing Spend — total dollars on ads, data, callers, mailers
• Total Leads — everyone who came in regardless of motivation
• Net Leads — motivated sellers (owner, wants to sell, able to sell)
• Appointments / Process Calls — calls where you ran your process
• Offers Made — how many actual numbers did you put out
• Contracts Signed — accepted offers
• Deals Closed — funded, done, money in the bank
• Revenue — total profit from closed deals

Step 2: Calculate Conversion Rates (5 min)

Now run the math on each stage of your funnel:

Step 3: Compare to Benchmarks

Here are the benchmarks we run EMR Investments against every month:

Circle every number where you're below benchmark. Those are your leaks.

Step 4: Find the Leak

Not all leaks cost the same. A 10% drop in your contract rate is far more expensive than a 10% drop in your net lead rate — because it happens later when you've already spent money getting there.

Ask: "If this stage were at benchmark, how many more deals would I close?"

Step 5: Fix It

Low Net Lead Rate (<60%)

Your ad targeting is bringing in unmotivated sellers. Review creative — are you attracting people who actually need to sell? Cut or adjust low-performing campaigns.

Low Appointment Rate (<60%)

You're losing motivated sellers before talking to them. Speed to lead matters — call within 5 minutes. Most wholesalers follow up twice; the best ones follow up 8-12 times across 30 days.

Low Offer Rate (<70%)

Reps are self-disqualifying. They're deciding sellers aren't motivated before running the process. Audit calls — are reps following the script? Asking pain questions?

Low Contract Rate (<20%)

Offers aren't getting accepted. Either your numbers are off (recalculate ARV and formula) or you're not anchoring the value of a cash offer properly.

Low Close Rate (<55%)

Contracts falling through. Usually title issues, cold sellers, or thin buyer pool. Tighten due diligence and build your buyers list before you need it.

The 30-Minute Checklist