How to get concrete leads: what actually works in 2026

Step 1: know what a lead is worth to you

Before buying a single lead, work out your math. Average job value times close rate equals revenue per lead. If your average driveway is $8,000 and you close one in five, each lead is worth about $1,600 in revenue. Now a $120 lead looks very different than it did.

This one number tells you what you can afford to pay, which channels are viable in your market, and how many leads you need to hit a revenue target. Our profit calculator on the home page does it for you.

Step 2: turn on a fast channel

Paid social is usually the quickest way to real homeowner leads for concrete. You can be live in a day, choose the towns you serve, and use your own finished-project photos as the creative. Google search ads come next: fewer leads, higher intent, higher click cost.

Keep the offer concrete, not generic. 'Free quote' attracts everyone; 'Driveway replacement, spring pricing, photos of 40 local pours' attracts homeowners actually planning the job.

• Use real job site photos and video, not stock images
• Target only the towns you'll drive to
• Ask for project type, timeline and location in the form
• Follow up by text within minutes, then call

Step 3: build the channels that keep paying

While ads run, fix your Google Business Profile: correct categories, every service listed, honest service areas, fresh job photos, weekly posts and a steady flow of recent reviews. In most markets that alone moves you into the map pack within a few months.

Then give Google something to rank: a page per service and a page per town, each with real photos, real pricing explanations and a quote request. This is the work that makes leads free later.

Step 4: stop losing the leads you already have

Most contractors don't have a lead problem, they have a response problem. Leads called within the hour close far more often than ones called the next day, because the homeowner is still comparing options right now.

Set up instant text and email the moment a form comes in, call as soon as you're off the truck, and keep following up for at least a week. Most crews quit after one attempt and leave half their jobs on the table.

• Automatic text within seconds of the form fill
• First call attempt inside the hour
• At least five follow-up touches over a week
• Quote sent same day when possible

Step 5: track cost per booked job, not cost per lead

Cheap leads that never book are expensive. The only number that matters is what you paid to land one signed job, compared to what that job earns you.

Track lead source, contacted, quoted, booked and revenue. Within a month you'll know exactly which channel deserves more budget and which one to kill.