Wakefield Pacific is a modern advisory firm built for ambitious business owners. The technical work runs underneath. The conversation is about the business. When they came to us, the marketing needed to reflect that same standard: predictable enquiries from the right kind of owner, and a clear line of sight from ad spend all the way through to revenue won.
The Challenge
Most accounting firms grow on referrals. That works until it stalls, and when it stalls there is rarely a system underneath ready to take over. The firms we speak with are not short on capability. They are short on visibility into where their next client actually comes from.
"I just need leads. I need the right leads. If you get me the right leads and I'm not selling, that's on me." Mitch Calley, Wakefield Pacific
The deeper issue with referral-led growth is that you work with whoever lands in your inbox. You take on small businesses, solo PAYGs and whatever the referral happens to send you, rather than choosing the ideal client you actually want. It is what you have received versus what you want.
What We Changed
We did not start with ad creative. We started with the scoreboard. Before a dollar was scaled, we wired Wakefield Pacific's enquiries into our Closed Loop Growth System that tracks every lead from the first click through to the signed engagement and the revenue behind it.
| Most firms measure | What we tracked for Wakefield Pacific |
|---|---|
| Clicks | Quotable leads worth following up |
| Cost per lead only | Cost per won client |
| Form fills | Revenue won and estimated lifetime value |
| Gut feel on what works | Close rate by campaign |
With the tracking in place, the campaigns had a job that could be measured: bring in the owners the firm actually wants, not just anyone chasing a cheap tax return.
The Results
Across the tracked period, the system produced 70 quotable leads at a cost per lead of $86.94. Of those, 8 became paying clients at an average client value of $12,002.66, a close rate of 11.4 percent.
The numbers that matter to a business owner:
- •$96,021 in new client revenue won from $13,128 of ad spend, a 7.3x return measured on closed-loop tracking, not estimates.
- •$272,105 in opportunity value sitting in the pipeline from quotable leads still in play.
- •$1,641 to acquire a client worth $12,000 in year one, and $36,000 over three years if that client stays.
- •A genuinely ideal client base, chosen on purpose rather than inherited from whoever the last referral sent through.
Why The CAC To LTV Maths Works For An Accounting Firm
This is exactly the maths an accounting firm needs if it is going to buy its growth. It costs $1,641 to win a client. That client is worth around $12,000 in the first 12 months, and roughly $36,000 across three years if they stay, which accounting clients tend to do.
When the cost to acquire is a fraction of what a client is worth, advertising stops being a gamble and becomes a deliberate way to bring on the prospects you actually want. That is the real prize. Instead of working with small businesses, solo PAYGs, or taking on whoever a referral happens to send, the firm gets to choose its ideal client and pay a known, profitable price to win them. It is the difference between what you receive and what you want.
"We've been working with PixelRush for our digital marketing and they've been fantastic. The team is incredibly responsive, easy to deal with, and genuinely invested in helping us get the best possible results. They consistently push us to improve and grow. Highly recommend." Mitch Calley, Wakefield Pacific
This case study reflects a real client engagement. Figures are taken from PixelRush HQ, our Closed Loop Growth System that tracks clicks all the way through to signed revenue from clients.