Paid lead plans and advertising can bring inquiries, but they charge in different ways. Before changing spend, check what each source charges for and what happened to the requests it brought.
A bill alone does not show whether a source works. Count what you spent, how many inquiries came in, how many estimates you wrote, and how many repair orders you completed. Compare that with the full cost of your other sources.
What Yelp ads charge for
Yelp describes its ad billing as cost per click, with pricing set through an auction. A click is a visit to your listing, not a booked repair order. Check Yelp's current cost-per-click guidance and your account terms, then track how many clicks become estimate requests and completed jobs.
One shop's result does not show what Yelp will produce in your market. Compare clicks, estimate requests, completed repairs, and the total ad cost in your own account.
Read lead-provider terms before buying
Lead marketplace terms vary. Before you buy, check what counts as a billable lead, whether contacts can be shared, how the service handles wrong-area requests, and how cancellation works. A complaint from one buyer is evidence of that buyer's experience, not a result for every shop.
Use reviews as prompts for questions, not as proof of what your shop will receive. Ask the provider for its sharing, billing, and refund rules in writing, then compare the result with your own records.
Check whether a paid lead is shared
Some lead plans send a request to more than one shop. Check the provider's current terms and ask how many shops may receive the same request.
Do not assume every service shares contacts. Check the product's current terms and ask how many providers can receive the same request. Then include any contact fee in your cost per completed repair order.
Check what your current channels return
Calls from past customers, referrals, your website, and your listing may have no separate fee per contact, but those channels still take time and money to build and maintain. Log that cost too. A missed call or a slow reply can also affect whether an inquiry becomes an estimate.
For example, an estimate request may arrive while the team is repairing a vehicle. Check calls, texts, and forms when it is safe to pause. Record when you replied, whether you reached the driver, and what next step they chose.
For a missed call, record when it arrived, when you returned it, whether you reached the driver, and what happened next. This shows whether a callback step needs attention in your shop.
Track reply time alongside spend
Keep response time in the comparison, but do not assume the first shop always wins. Record how quickly you replied and whether the inquiry became an estimate or repair order. That shows what happens in your market.
For collision work, note whether the inquiry needs photos, an insurance detail, an estimate, or a call back. Then record which next step you took and whether it led to an estimate or repair order.
Your records can show whether follow-up or lead volume is the issue. Compare those results with the source's cost before changing spend. See how to set a reply goal and how to review missed-call outcomes.
What this looks like with SvarKlar
SvarKlar is not a lead seller or an ad service. It can handle the inbound tasks and channels named in the written order.
That work may include prompt written replies on selected channels, missed-call text-back, and intake questions such as what was damaged and whether insurance is involved. If a driver has just crashed, the first reply should tell them to get away from traffic to a safe place and call 911 if anyone is hurt, before any intake question. Booking or routing rules must be included. SvarKlar also answers calls with AI.
Put each channel side by side: total spend, inquiries received, estimates given, and completed repair orders. Include your own marketing and staff time. A fast reply can help you follow up on an inquiry; it does not make every lead a booked job. To see the SvarKlar setup, read how SvarKlar works or the AI receptionist guide.
So where should the money go?
If your records show requests waiting while the team is working, compare a callback or written-reply process with the cost of more advertising. If your current process handles those requests, compare paid sources by their own results.
A missed call does not prove that a repair order was lost. Review the number of requests, estimates, completed jobs, and total cost for each source. Our guide to what a collision lead is worth explains the comparison.
More on winning the leads your shop already earns sits in our collision and auto body guides.
Compare ad clicks, marketplace contacts, referrals, and other inquiries by the jobs they produce and what each channel costs. Include the time and spend behind your own sources.
Want to discuss the inbound tasks your shop may need? Book a call or see how the service works.