Cost Per Sale Math for Final Expense Calls
Cost per sale, cost per placed policy, break-even close rate, and the most you can pay per call, with a calculator.
The short answer
Cost per sale is the price per call divided by your close rate. At $65 a call and an 18% close rate, each written application costs about $361 in calls. Divide again by the share of applications that issue and pay to get your cost per placed policy, then compare it with the first-year commission that policy earns you.
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The formulas
- Cost per written app
- Price per billable call / close rate
- Cost per placed policy
- Cost per written app / share of apps that issue and pay the first premium
- Commission per placed policy
- Average annual premium × your first-year commission rate
- Break-even close rate
- Price per call / (commission per placed policy × placement rate)
Use billable calls, not every call that rang. Calls that ended before your buffer cost nothing, so they do not belong in the denominator.
Cost per app by close rate
At $65 per call, our example price at a 90 second buffer:
| Close rate | Calls per app | Cost per app | Per placed policy at 80% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | 10.0 | $650 | $813 |
| 15% | 6.7 | $433 | $542 |
| 18% | 5.6 | $361 | $451 |
| 20% | 5.0 | $325 | $406 |
| 25% | 4.0 | $260 | $325 |
Placement and persistency
A written app is not a paid policy. Some apps are declined, some never draft, and some lapse in the first year and charge back the advance. One vendor puts exclusive inbound final expense at 75% to 85% issued and 14% to 22% first-year lapse (Elevarus, self-reported). That is why agents who track it judge vendors by cost per issued, persisted policy rather than cost per call.
The most you can pay per call
Turn the math around: the most a call is worth to you is your close rate times your placement rate times the commission per placed policy, before your own costs and margin. One published example: 18% close × 84% persistency × $600 commission = $90.72, so a maximum of about $80 per call once labor is set aside (Elevarus). If a vendor's price is above that number for you, no buffer or credit policy will fix it.
Calculator
Move the sliders to your own numbers. Every output uses the formulas above.
- Cost per written app
- $361
- Per placed policy
- $451
- Break-even close rate
- 9.0%
- Spend a month (22 days)
- $7,150
- Placed policies a month
- 15.8
- Commission a month
- $14,256
- Most you could pay per call
- $130
Examples, not a promise of results. Before chargebacks, lapses and your own costs. Break-even is the close rate where commission on placed policies equals what you spent on calls. Vendors publish 15% to 25% close rates for exclusive inbound final expense calls (self-reported, October 2026); new agents usually start lower.
What vendors report
As of October 2026, and all self-reported by companies that sell calls, so treat them as the optimistic end:
- Close-to-app of 15% to 25% on exclusive inbound calls (Elevarus).
- New agents at 15% to 18%, about 20% after 10 to 20 calls, veterans 25% and up (DigitalBGA).
- One sale in every 4 to 8 calls (Legacy Telesales).
- A worked example of $600 for 10 calls and 2 sales, or $300 per sale, with break-even at about one policy per 8 to 10 calls (AllCalls).
Agents in forums push back that vendor averages leave out agents who quit (agent forum discussion), and some buyers report zero sales on their first few hundred dollars (buyer reviews). Budget for a learning period. Axel PR will publish its own numbers, with sample sizes, on the report card.
What the math leaves out
- Chargebacks on policies that lapse inside the advance period
- Your time, including time spent on calls that did not close
- Non-resident licenses for more states, about $50 to $150 each (DigitalBGA)
- Any platform fees, card surcharges or minimums a vendor adds (Axel PR charges none)
Ready when you are.
Exclusive inbound calls, missed calls never billed, and our side of the deal measured on your desk.
Sources
Read in October 2026. Vendor figures are what those companies publish about themselves, so treat them as directional.
- Elevarus, final expense cost per lead 2026 (vendor)Vendor, self-reported
- AllCalls, is pay-per-call final expense worth it, 2026 (vendor)Vendor, self-reported
- DigitalBGA, final expense telesales (vendor)Vendor, self-reported
- Legacy Telesales, final expense TV inbound (vendor)Vendor, self-reported
- Insurance Forums, final expense live transfers threadBuyer reviews
- Trustpilot, AllCalls.io buyer reviewsBuyer reviews
Keep reading
What a Call Buffer Is and Why It Matters
What counts toward a buffer, what a vendor may and may not do inside it, and how 60, 90 and 120 seconds compare.
Read the guide
Final Expense Call Pricing and Rates
The per-call prices for English, Spanish and TV (CTV) inbound calls, the 90 second buffer, the starting balance, and what is never charged.
Read more
Inbound Calls vs Live Transfers vs Shared Leads
Who started the contact, how many agents bought it, typical October 2026 prices, and which fits which agent.
Read the guide
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