Is it worth it?

Estimates, not Triremes results. Calculated by AI from published industry benchmarks (sources below).

What a lead is worth to you

A lead is a problem with the businesses that have it. Its expected value is the businesses on it × how many reply × how many replies become paid work × what the work is worth. Pick a setup, or put in your own numbers.

Expected value of one lead

about $33

With 2 businesses, 4.1% replying and 21% of replies becoming paid work worth 40 h × $47.85, a lead is worth about $33 on average, about one paid job per 58 leads.

Each business on a lead is worth about $16 at these numbers; a lead costs $19 per business, at least $19 (Pricing).

Start from a setup
businesses

Triremes' leads have about 2 each.

%

Benchmarks: 3.43% on average, 5.5% for the top quarter of senders.

%

An often-cited average: 21% (unverified; see sources).

hours

A small fix is a few hours; a project, weeks.

$ per hour

US median for web developers: $47.85 an hour.

Reset

The three setups

For one lead:

CautiousTypicalGood
Businesses per lead222
Reply rate3.43%4.1%5.5%
Win rate, reply to paid work21%21%21%
Job value20 hours × $47.85 = $95740 hours × $47.85 = $1,91480 hours × $47.85 = $3,828
Expected value of each businessabout $7about $16about $44
Expected value of a leadabout $14about $33about $88
Paid jobsabout one per 69 leadsabout one per 58 leadsabout one per 43 leads

Businesses per lead is Triremes' own figure: the businesses found for its leads, divided by the leads, rounded. Reply rates: Cautious is Instantly's 2026 benchmark, average, Typical Hunter.io's State of Cold Email 2025, average, Good Instantly's 2026 benchmark, top quarter. A lead costs $19 per business found, at least $19, in every tier (Pricing).

What an idea report is worth

An idea report saves the research you would otherwise do yourself. At 2 to 3 hours × $47.85, that is about $96–$144 of time, against $9–$19 for the report.

A validated idea is worth more than the time: people have already said, in public and more than once, that they have the problem. What that is worth to you depends on what you build; we put no number on it.

How to get the most from a lead

Sources