Why this trade can absorb a higher cost per lead
A generator dealer selling a $10,000 to $14,000 installed job can justify spending considerably more to acquire that lead than a trade selling $200 to $500 jobs, simply because the acceptable acquisition cost scales with what's being sold. A $150 to $200 lead against a $12,000 job is a small fraction of the sale; the same $150 to $200 against a $250 repair job would be an unreasonable share of it.
This is the same logic that applies across every high-ticket versus low-ticket comparison in home services: the sticker price of a lead means very little without the job value it's measured against.
The sales cycle changes the ROI math too
Generator installation isn't an impulse purchase. The process from initial contact to commissioning typically runs 6 to 10 weeks, involving an in-home consultation, permitting, gas line preparation, and financing decisions for many customers. That longer cycle means a single lead often represents multiple touchpoints before it closes, which changes how ROI should be measured: not just cost per lead, but cost per lead sustained through a weeks-long sales process rather than a same-week close.
Financing availability (many dealers offer financing in the roughly 8 to 10 percent APR range depending on credit) is itself a conversion lever worth tracking separately, since a customer's willingness to move forward on a $10,000-plus purchase often depends on whether a manageable monthly payment is on the table. When those leads actually arrive is its own pattern worth planning around, since demand for this trade is anything but steady through the year.