Glossary

Cleaning and lead-gen terms, defined.

If a word in our docs, the apply form, or the demo dashboard isn't familiar, it's probably here.

Aged lead: A lead that has passed its freshness window without the consumer engaging. Most platforms (including ours) make aged leads refund-eligible if the buyer documented their outreach attempts.
Bid cap: The maximum number of cleaning providers who can purchase a single lead. CleanerFlow Leads caps at 3; Thumbtack and Angi have no hard cap.
Close rate: The percentage of leads you contacted that became paying jobs. Most cleaners overestimate their close rate; the honest number for cold residential leads is usually 25-40%.
Composite quality score: Numerical score (0-100) assigned to every lead before sale, combining freshness, completeness, ZIP match, budget signal, and anti-fraud checks. Visible to buyers prior to purchase.
Consumer: The end-user requesting cleaning service — the homeowner, renter, or host. Distinct from 'buyer' (the cleaning provider purchasing the lead).
Deep clean: A cleaning scope above standard residential — typically includes baseboards, blinds, inside cabinets, oven, fridge, ceiling fans. Tickets typically 1.5-3× a standard clean.
Dispute window: The time period after a lead purchase during which a buyer can file a refund claim. CleanerFlow Leads uses 5 days from purchase.
Exclusive lead: A lead sold to only one buyer (max_share_count = 1). Higher price per lead but no competition for the close.
First-touch attribution: Method of crediting the first marketing touchpoint a lead encountered, regardless of subsequent touches. CleanerFlow Leads' UTM capture uses first-touch for accuracy.
Freshness: How recently a consumer submitted their cleaning request. Leads less than 30 minutes old convert ~3× higher than leads over 2 hours old.
Lead-to-job conversion: Sometimes called close rate. The percentage of leads you purchased that became billable jobs. Health benchmark for residential cleaning: above 30%.
LTV: Lifetime value. The total revenue a single client generates over the relationship. For a biweekly recurring residential client: typically $3,000-$8,000 over 18 months.
Move-out clean: Detailed clean tied to a tenancy turnover. Higher scope than standard residential because of deposit-recovery or property-manager handoff expectations.
Recurring lead: A consumer requesting weekly, biweekly, or monthly service. Highest-LTV category — the lead is the start of a relationship, not a one-time transaction.
Refund-eligible: Status of a lead that meets the platform's criteria for credit-back if a dispute is filed and approved. CleanerFlow Leads marks aged + low-quality leads refund-eligible by default.
ZIP match: How precisely a lead's service ZIP matches a buyer's stated coverage area. Composite score reduces the weight of leads with poor ZIP match because drive-time kills margin.

Loading…

Glossary

Cleaning and lead-gen terms, defined.

If a word in our docs, the apply form, or the demo dashboard isn't familiar, it's probably here.

Aged lead: A lead that has passed its freshness window without the consumer engaging. Most platforms (including ours) make aged leads refund-eligible if the buyer documented their outreach attempts.
Bid cap: The maximum number of cleaning providers who can purchase a single lead. CleanerFlow Leads caps at 3; Thumbtack and Angi have no hard cap.
Close rate: The percentage of leads you contacted that became paying jobs. Most cleaners overestimate their close rate; the honest number for cold residential leads is usually 25-40%.
Composite quality score: Numerical score (0-100) assigned to every lead before sale, combining freshness, completeness, ZIP match, budget signal, and anti-fraud checks. Visible to buyers prior to purchase.
Consumer: The end-user requesting cleaning service — the homeowner, renter, or host. Distinct from 'buyer' (the cleaning provider purchasing the lead).
Deep clean: A cleaning scope above standard residential — typically includes baseboards, blinds, inside cabinets, oven, fridge, ceiling fans. Tickets typically 1.5-3× a standard clean.
Dispute window: The time period after a lead purchase during which a buyer can file a refund claim. CleanerFlow Leads uses 5 days from purchase.
Exclusive lead: A lead sold to only one buyer (max_share_count = 1). Higher price per lead but no competition for the close.
First-touch attribution: Method of crediting the first marketing touchpoint a lead encountered, regardless of subsequent touches. CleanerFlow Leads' UTM capture uses first-touch for accuracy.
Freshness: How recently a consumer submitted their cleaning request. Leads less than 30 minutes old convert ~3× higher than leads over 2 hours old.
Lead-to-job conversion: Sometimes called close rate. The percentage of leads you purchased that became billable jobs. Health benchmark for residential cleaning: above 30%.
LTV: Lifetime value. The total revenue a single client generates over the relationship. For a biweekly recurring residential client: typically $3,000-$8,000 over 18 months.
Move-out clean: Detailed clean tied to a tenancy turnover. Higher scope than standard residential because of deposit-recovery or property-manager handoff expectations.
Recurring lead: A consumer requesting weekly, biweekly, or monthly service. Highest-LTV category — the lead is the start of a relationship, not a one-time transaction.
Refund-eligible: Status of a lead that meets the platform's criteria for credit-back if a dispute is filed and approved. CleanerFlow Leads marks aged + low-quality leads refund-eligible by default.
ZIP match: How precisely a lead's service ZIP matches a buyer's stated coverage area. Composite score reduces the weight of leads with poor ZIP match because drive-time kills margin.