What is pull-through rate?
Pull-through rate is the share of service visits or inspections that produce additional sold work, such as repairs, upgrades or new agreements. It shows whether the recurring visit feeds the rest of the business. A sprinkler inspection that leads to a signed repair, or a rooftop unit maintenance visit that leads to a signed replacement, counts as pulled-through work.
Why it matters to a revenue leader
In many commercial services companies the inspection or maintenance agreement opens the door, and the repairs, retrofits and replacements behind it carry much of the margin. The U.S. Department of Energy's O&M guide notes that an inspection contract is not always a moneymaker for the contractor, yet it keeps the relationship, and the contractor with that foot in the door is more likely to be called when something breaks. Pull-through tells a revenue leader whether that door produces sold work or only visits. In a PE-backed platform it is often the nearest growth lever, because the customers, sites and access already exist.
How to calculate it
Pull-through rate = visits or inspections that produced sold follow-on work ÷ visits or inspections completed, for the same period. Some teams also track a dollar version: follow-on revenue sold ÷ agreement revenue.
Common mistake: counting quotes issued as pull-through. Only sold work counts.
Example
Fictitious numbersA fire and life safety company with 14 sellers completes 1,200 inspections in a quarter. 180 of those inspections lead to a signed repair or upgrade, so pull-through is 15%. Those 180 jobs total $540,000, against $900,000 of inspection revenue in the same quarter.
"Which branches turn the most inspections into sold work, and why?"