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Cost per complete estimator
What B2B sample should cost, from a published model you can argue with.
A cost per complete estimator shows what B2B survey sample should cost for a given specification. Enter the seniority of the audience, the expected incidence rate and the interview length, and it returns a market range for cost per complete. Incidence does most of the work: halving it raises the price by roughly 40%.
Estimated market cost per complete
$45
market range roughly $36 to $54
- Base rate for seniority
- $24
- Incidence factor
- ×1.67
- Interview length factor
- ×1.12
- Estimated project total
- $13,440
A market estimate from a published model, not a Valid N quote. Send the spec for our number, same business day, held through field.
How the cost per complete estimator works
incidence factor = max(1, √(50% / incidence))
length factor = 1 + 0.03 × max(0, minutes − 10)
The base rate reflects what it costs to reach a verified respondent at a given seniority when incidence is comfortable and the interview is short. The incidence factor scales price with the square root of scarcity, which matches how supplier costs behave in practice: halving incidence does not double the price, but it comes close. The length factor adds 3% per minute beyond ten, covering both respondent incentives and drop off.
What moves B2B CPI most
- Incidence. The biggest lever. A screen that halves incidence raises CPI by roughly 40%.
- Seniority. Director and above costs more because the population is smaller and verification is more work. C-suite at 1,000+ employees is a different market.
- Length. Every minute past ten costs money and finishes. Senior audiences stop finishing near 15.
- Quotas. Not in the model. Tight quotas raise over quota waste and are priced at feasibility.
- Verification. Built into our base rates. Vendors who skip it will be cheaper and it will show up in the data.
See B2B cost per complete benchmarks for typical ranges by audience and incidence band.
Cost per complete estimator: frequently asked questions
How much does B2B survey sample cost per complete?
It depends on the audience, the incidence rate and the interview length, which is what this estimator models. Rather than quoting a headline range, put your own specification in and compare the result with any quote you have been given. We price each brief individually and the quote holds for the agreed specification.
Is this estimate what Valid N charges?
No. It is a market model published so you can see what drives price. We use several supply sources and quote each spec on the supply it actually needs. Send the spec through the feasibility form and you get our CPI the same business day, and that number holds through field.
Why is your CPI higher than a quote I got elsewhere?
Usually one of three reasons: the other quote assumes higher incidence than the audience really has, it does not include verification, or it will be revised once the field shows the real incidence. Ask what happens to the price if incidence comes in low.
Does CPI change if I add quotas?
Often, yes. Quotas on rare cells turn away qualified respondents, which raises the number of starts needed. The estimator does not include quotas. They are priced on the spec at feasibility.
Send the spec. Get real numbers back.
Audience, market, target n, expected interview length. Feasibility the same business day for standard audiences, with reachable counts, an estimated qualification rate we believe and a quoted cost per complete that stays fixed for the agreed brief.