No-Show Cost Calculator
Ghost prospects cost more than you think. See the annual revenue impact and the simple fix.
What is the Discovery Call No-Show Cost Calculator?
The Discovery Call No-Show Cost Calculator quantifies the annual revenue consultants and coaches lose to missed sales calls — combining wasted calendar time with the pipeline value of deals that never got the chance to close.
How is it calculated?
Enter your monthly discovery calls booked, your no-show rate, average call length, your hourly rate, your close rate, and average client value. The calculator totals the direct time cost plus the expected value of lost deals to show your true monthly and annual no-show cost.
Worked example: what do 20 discovery calls a month at a 20% no-show rate actually cost?
- Count the ghosts
Start with 20 discovery calls booked per month. At a 20% no-show rate: 20 × 20% = 4 calls that never happen.
- Turn ghosts into lost clients
You close 30% of the calls that do happen. So those 4 no-shows would have produced 4 × 30% = 1.2 new clients a month.
- Put a dollar figure on it
At an average client value of $3,000: 1.2 lost clients × $3,000 = $3,600 in lost revenue every month.
- Annualize the leak
$3,600 × 12 months = $43,200 per year walking out the door before you ever get to pitch.
- Price the fix
A $50–$100 deposit that cuts no-shows in half recovers $43,200 ÷ 2 = $21,600/year — with almost no cost to run.
- Verdict
You’re losing about $43,200 a year to ghosts. A one-line deposit or confirmation step pays for itself many times over — this isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s your cheapest growth lever.
What does each no-show rate cost at 20 calls/month, a 30% close rate, and $3,000 per client?
| No-show rate | No-shows/mo | Lost clients/mo | Annual revenue lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% | 1.0 | 0.3 | $10,800 |
| 10% | 2.0 | 0.6 | $21,600 |
| 15% | 3.0 | 0.9 | $32,400 |
| 20% (default) | 4.0 | 1.2 | $43,200 |
| 25% | 5.0 | 1.5 | $54,000 |
| 30% | 6.0 | 1.8 | $64,800 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a no-show discovery call actually cost?
More than the lost hour. A no-show costs the blocked time at your hourly rate plus the expected deal value — close rate × average client value. At a 25% close rate and $3,000 average engagement, every missed call carries roughly $750 of pipeline value on top of the wasted slot.
What is a normal no-show rate for discovery calls?
Cold-booked discovery calls typically see 20–40% no-shows; warm referrals and paid consultations run under 10%. If your rate is above 25%, reminder sequences and small commitment devices usually cut it dramatically.
How do I reduce no-shows for sales calls?
Send automated reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before the call, ask for an explicit confirmation reply, keep booking-to-call lag under 3 days, and add friction for low-intent leads — a short intake form or a refundable deposit. Each tactic alone typically cuts no-shows 10–20%.
Should I overbook to compensate for no-shows?
Overbooking recovers lost volume but treats the symptom. It works for high-volume funnels, yet risks double-booking your best prospects. Fixing show-up rate protects both your calendar and the buyer experience — use the calculator to see what a 10-point improvement is worth first.
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