The Appointment Show-Rate Playbook

Why Show Rate Is a Different Number Than Close Rate

Set rate, sit rate, show rate, and close rate measure four different points in the same funnel, and mixing them up hides where a problem actually lives. Set rate is how many appointments got booked. Show rate (sometimes called sit rate) is how many of those the homeowner actually kept. Close rate is how many of the appointments you sat became signed jobs. A vendor with a strong set rate and a weak show rate is filling your calendar with appointments that quietly evaporate, and no amount of sales skill fixes a rep standing at an empty driveway.

What Actually Moves Show Rate

The single biggest lever is double confirmation: one touch at the moment of booking, and a separate reminder closer to the actual appointment time, ideally the day before and again the morning of. Verified contact information at booking matters too, a homeowner who gave a working number and a real address is far more likely to still be there. So does specificity: telling the homeowner exactly who is coming, roughly what time, and what to expect, rather than a vague "someone will stop by." For storm appointments specifically, a same-day weather or schedule check before the rep leaves the shop avoids driving out to a canceled or postponed inspection.

What Vendors Claim, and How to Read It

The Lead Giants publishes a 70%-plus show rate alongside a 25% close rate and 5,600-plus appointments delivered, all vendor-published figures rather than independently verified numbers. That is not a reason to dismiss the claim, but it is a reason to ask what is behind it: what does the confirmation process actually look like, how many touches happen between booking and the appointment, and what counts as a "show" in their reporting. A published percentage without a described process is a marketing number. A published percentage with a described confirmation workflow is something you can evaluate.

The Cost of a No-Show You Still Paid For

An unprotected no-show does not just cost you the missed appointment, it inflates your real cost per booked job. If roughly one in five appointments is a no-show and your vendor does not replace it for free, your real acquisition cost runs about 20% higher than the sticker price implies, before you even factor in close rate. Read your vendor's replacement policy alongside their show-rate claim, the two are directly connected.

A Confirmation Workflow You Can Run In-House or Demand From a Vendor

1. Immediate confirmation touch (call or text) the moment the appointment is booked, restating the date, time, and who is coming.
2. A reminder touch the day before the appointment, with an easy way for the homeowner to reschedule instead of just not showing up.
3. A day-of check-in, a short text confirming the rep is on the way, roughly an hour before arrival.
4. A defined reschedule protocol, so a homeowner who cannot make it gets rebooked instead of the appointment simply being written off as a no-show.

This is the exact shape of a double-confirmed appointment: every step exists specifically to reduce the odds of an empty driveway.

Sources

The external data in this guide draws on the sources below. Figures described in the text as estimates or industry triangulations are directional and are not attributed to a single dataset.

• The Lead Giants, roofing appointments pricing
• GhostRep, roofing lead cost benchmarks
• Minyona, roofing leads pricing

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