Customer lifetime value
Also called: LTV, CLV
Customer lifetime value is the total gross profit a typical customer produces across every job they ever give you, including repeat work and referrals.
Lifetime value = average gross profit per job × average jobs per customer over their lifetime.
Assumptions and cited research behind this metric are listed on the methodology and sources page.
Why it matters
It sets the ceiling on what you can afford to spend to win a customer. Businesses that price acquisition against a single job systematically underinvest.
Worked example
A HVAC customer worth $340 gross profit on the first visit but averaging four visits over six years is a $1,360 customer, which justifies a much higher acquisition cost than the first job alone.
Figures are illustrative models with inputs stated, not audited client results.
Systems that use this
- AI CRM for Small Business — A CRM that writes the notes, sends the follow-ups, and reminds you.
- AI Review Responder — Reply to every Google review in your voice — in 30 seconds.
- AI Sales System — Follow-up sequences and objection scripts that close.
Where it comes up
Customer lifetime value: common questions
Related terms
- Speed to lead
Speed to lead is the elapsed time between a prospect making contact and your business making a real, personalised first response.
- Payback period
Payback period is how long a system takes to generate enough additional gross profit to cover what it cost to buy and install.
- Cost per booked job
Cost per booked job is the total spend on acquiring and handling leads divided by the number of jobs actually booked from them.
- Booked rate
Booked rate is the percentage of leads that end up with a scheduled appointment, estimate, or call in the calendar.
- Show rate
Show rate is the percentage of booked appointments where the customer actually turns up or takes the call.
- Review velocity
Review velocity is how many new public reviews your business earns per month, and how consistently that rate holds over time.
Guarantees and supported integrations
- 14-day refundInstall it, run it, and if it doesn't fit, get your money back.
- Lifetime updatesEvery revision of a system you own ships to you, free.
- No lock-inBlueprints run on your own accounts. Cancel and they keep working.
- Secure checkoutPayments handled by the processor. We never store card details.
Works with the stack you already pay for
- Zapier
- Make
- HubSpot
- GoHighLevel
- Pipedrive
- Twilio
- Cal.com
- Calendly
- Google Workspace
- Notion
- Airtable
- OpenPhone
Integration partners, not customer logos. We publish client names only with permission — none yet, so none shown.