Consultant math
Consultant math vs. the $49 pipeline
One path to a working lead pipeline is a $3,000 to $10,000 build plus a $500 to $2,500 monthly retainer. The other is SeenOnMain: from $49 a month, no setup fee, set up for you. Here is the math side by side. No name-calling, just the invoices.
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The side-by-side
| Typical website consultant | Typical marketing retainer | SeenOnMain | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup / build fee | $3,000 to $10,000 one time | Often "waived" and rolled into the retainer | $0. Concierge setup is free. |
| Monthly cost | Updates billed hourly, if offered at all | $500 to $2,500 a month | $49 to $449 a month, one flat price per plan |
| Time to live | 2 to 6 weeks (build queue) | 4 to 8 weeks (strategy phase first) | Most businesses are live the same day |
| Who does the work | They build once; you maintain it | An account manager, with your input on everything | Done for you: the team sets it up, you answer your phone |
| What you get | A website | Meetings, reports, campaigns | Your own business line, instant lead alerts, a lead-capture form or mini-website, and every lead on one dashboard. AI follow-up emails from $99. |
| Commitment | Project-based | Often 6 to 12 month contracts | Cancel anytime |
| Trial | None | None | 14 days free, no credit card |
| Risk reversal | "We'll do our best" | Results may vary | 30-day guarantee: catch a lead you'd have missed, or that month is free |
Consultant and agency figures are typical market ranges for small-business engagements, shown for comparison, not a quote from any specific firm. SeenOnMain pricing and terms are from seenonmain.com/pricing (October 2026).
Year one, on the record
| Path | First 12 months |
|---|---|
| Typical consultant path ($3,000 to $10,000 build + $500 to $2,500 a month) | $9,000 to $40,000 |
| Retainer only, no build ($500 to $2,500 a month x 12) | $6,000 to $30,000 |
| SeenOnMain Lite ($49 a month x 12, setup free) | $588 |
One mid-range $5,000 setup fee equals 8.5 years of the $49 plan. At a $1,500 retainer, year one costs about 30 times as much as the $49 plan, roughly 39 average service calls at $450 a job.
Run your own numbers
Put in what a consultant quoted you. The defaults are a typical mid-range engagement.
- Their invoice
- $23,000
- SeenOnMain Lite, same period
- $588
What stays in your pocket
$22,412
That is about 50 average service calls at $450 a job. The setup fee alone equals 8.5 years of the $49 a month plan.
their invoice = setup fee + (monthly retainer x months you stay) SeenOnMain = plan price x the same months what you keep = their invoice - SeenOnMain
This compares prices only. It does not claim a consultant's work is worthless, and a Lite plan is alerts and a lead-capture form, not a full marketing program. Pick the plan that matches what you need.
Fair question: what does $49 actually do?
- Your own business line. A dedicated toll-free number that forwards to your phone, so client texts stay separate from your personal number. On every plan.
- An instant alert to you. The moment a lead submits your form, you get a text and a phone call offering to connect you to them right then (press 1).
- Missed-call text-back. Callers on your SeenOnMain number are asked if a text is OK. If you miss the call, those who agreed get a text. Texts to callers only go out 8am to 8pm.
- A lead-capture form or mini-website. A form that embeds in your site with one snippet, or a branded mini-website if you don't have one. Not a 40-page site you have to learn to edit.
- Every lead on one dashboard. Leads, quotes and customers in one place, with CSV export.
- Concierge setup, free. Tell us your trade and number; the team builds it with you and shows you before it goes live. No setup fee.
Higher plans ($99 to $449 a month) raise your monthly lead capacity. AI follow-up emails on Day 1, 3, 7 and 14 start at the $99 Starter plan, and you approve the templates before anything sends. The $49 Lite plan is alerts only.
Don't take our math for it
#1 Editor's Pick
"It is the only platform here that combines text follow-ups with real people."
The Pinnacle List, 2026 roundup of missed-call text-back services for home-service trades. We did not pay for or submit this listing.
And from our own audit of 1,965 home-service websites, only 18% could text a lead back at all. That gap is why "just call us" loses jobs to whoever answers first. Read the study.
Fair questions
Is $49 a month really done-for-you?
For lead response, yes. The $49 Lite plan gives you your own business line, an instant text and phone-call alert to you the moment a lead comes in, a lead-capture form or mini-website built for you, and one dashboard. AI email follow-up for 14 days starts at the $99 Starter plan. It isn't a full marketing department. It's the piece that answers the leads, and the piece most businesses are missing.
How can it cost so much less than an agency?
It's a different shape of business: no strategy offsites, no account managers, no monthly report deck. Software does the repetitive work and a person steps in where it matters. A low price only works if it obviously pays for itself, which is why the 30-day guarantee exists: catch a lead you'd have missed, or that month is free.
I already have a website or a CRM. Does this replace them?
No, it works alongside them. SeenOnMain isn't a CRM. It catches and answers the leads your current setup lets sit. It works with Jobber, Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan through your booking link, and leads export as CSV.
What happens after hours?
You are alerted whenever a lead comes in. Texts to your callers and leads only go out between 8am and 8pm, to stay inside texting rules, and only to callers who agreed to a text. Follow-up emails have no time-of-day limit.
Keep the math. Skip the retainer.
See it work on your own trade in about a minute. No signup, nothing to configure.
Try the live demo60 seconds, no signup.
30-day guarantee: catch a lead you'd have missed, or that month's free.
Want to see it first? Book a 15-minute walkthrough or call (919) 346-7876. We can also set it up for you.
Sources: SeenOnMain pricing (seenonmain.com/pricing), concierge setup (seenonmain.com/concierge), The Pinnacle List 2026 roundup, and the SeenOnMain 2026 lead-response audit of 1,965 websites. Consultant and agency cost ranges are typical market figures shown for comparison. Work Stream Apps LLC (DBA SeenOnMain), 4030 Wake Forest Road, STE 349, Raleigh, NC 27609.