Revenue & Performance
What's the average close rate for a plumber?
The typical plumber closes 73.6% of the jobs he quotes. The bottom group of shops sits near 66.3%. The top group hits 81.9%. Your trip charge policy and your mix of demand calls versus estimate calls both push this number up or down.
Close rate is one math problem
Close rate is simple. Take the number of jobs a tech sold. Divide it by the number of jobs he quoted a price on. That is your close rate.
A lot of plumbing content online mixes this up with other numbers, like how many phone calls turn into booked appointments. That is a front desk number, not a close rate. For this article, we are only talking about what happens once a tech is standing in front of the customer with a price in hand.
The real numbers
These numbers come from coached plumbing shops we work with, tracked over the past 12 months.
- Bottom group: 66.3%
- Average: 73.6%
- Top group: 81.9%
If your shop sits near 73.6%, you are in line with other coached shops. That is a fine place to be, but it is not the ceiling. Shops hitting 81.9% usually score every tech on close rate every week, not just at review time.
Two things that change what you should expect
Before you compare your shop to these numbers, check these two things first. They can explain a lot of the gap on their own.
A trip charge changes who calls you
If you charge a trip fee, you filter out price shoppers before a tech ever quotes the job. Fewer tire kickers means a higher close rate and a higher average ticket. That is normal, not a sign your techs got better overnight.
If you do not charge a trip fee, expect more calls from people comparing prices. That pulls your close rate toward the lower end. It does not mean your techs are weak. It means your funnel lets in more low-intent calls.
Demand calls close easier than estimate calls
A demand call is a customer with water on the floor, a clogged main, or no hot water today. An estimate call is someone pricing a water heater replacement or a repipe before they decide.
Demand calls close at a higher rate because the customer already decided they need the work done now. Estimate calls close lower because the customer is still shopping. If your shop runs a lot of estimate calls, do not expect to sit at the top of this range.
What we recommend
Pull your close rate by tech, not just by shop. A shop average can hide one tech closing almost everything and another closing almost nothing.
Split your numbers by call type before you judge a tech. A tech running mostly estimate calls should not be scored the same as one running mostly demand calls. Compare techs against others running the same type of work.
Check your trip charge policy once a year. If your close rate sits low and you have no trip fee, that policy change alone may explain more of the gap than any training problem.
Run a ride-along with any tech closing under the shop average on demand calls. That is where a true presentation problem shows up fastest.
Next steps this week
- Pull close rate by tech from your KTI report, not just the shop total.
- Sort last month's calls into demand and estimate, and check close rate for each group separately.
- Confirm whether your shop charges a trip fee, and if not, bring that question to your next coaching session.
66.3%
Plumbing close rate (bottom 25%)
Team SPG coached-shop data · trailing 12 months ending Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
73.6%
Plumbing close rate (median)
Team SPG coached-shop data · trailing 12 months ending Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
81.9%
Plumbing close rate (top 25%)
Team SPG coached-shop data · trailing 12 months ending Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Related questions
What is a good close rate for a plumbing company?
73.6% is the average among coached plumbing shops. 81.9% is where the top group lands, and that is the number to aim for.
How do I raise my techs' close rate without cutting prices?
Coach the presentation, not the price. Ride along with your lowest closers, watch how they walk the customer through options, and fix the specific step where they lose the sale.
Does a trip charge change what close rate I should expect?
Yes. A trip fee filters out price shoppers before a tech quotes the job, which usually raises close rate and average ticket. Without one, expect more low-intent calls and a lower number.
Do demand calls close at a different rate than estimate calls?
Yes. Demand calls, like a leak or no hot water, close higher because the customer already decided to fix it. Estimate calls close lower because the customer is still comparing options.
