A media-only cost per acquisition excludes proposal and selling work. Report the included cost categories so comparisons remain meaningful.
Try this with your own numbersFormula and worked example
CAC = (marketing + sales costs) / new customers
| Input | Example |
|---|---|
| Marketing spend | 3,000 |
| Sales labour and software | 1,000 |
| New paying customers | 20 |
| Calculated result | 200 per customer |
Choose reliable inputs
Include travel, preparation, cleaning and staffed capacity for each booking. For this dog walking calculation, use booking history, care schedules and cleaning records and a consistent definition of one walk booking.
- Walking time: include the portion belonging to this walk booking or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Travel: include the portion belonging to this walk booking or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Scheduling: include the portion belonging to this walk booking or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
Use the same currency for every money input. Do not mix weekly costs with monthly revenue, or count the same expense in both an itemised cost and allocated overhead.
Should sales labour be included in acquisition cost?
A media-only cost per acquisition excludes proposal and selling work. Report the included cost categories so comparisons remain meaningful.
Use aligned periods and an explicit definition of new paying customer.
What if this input changes?
If marketing spend rises by 10%, this example changes by 15 per customer. This shows the effect of one change; it does not predict what will happen.
Open the calculator, save your baseline, then change the input supported by the least reliable estimate in your records. Compare both scenarios before committing to a price or capacity promise.