Free training · Process & sales · 8 min
Find the step where your leads drop out.
When leads come in but don't become jobs, the problem is rarely the price. It's usually one step in the process: the reply, the quote, or the follow-up. Map it, count it, and fix the worst step first. (Operations and sales process only; not financial advice.)
01Write the steps down
List every step a lead goes through, in order, from first contact to booked job: where they come in, who answers, how fast, when a quote goes out, how follow-up happens, and how a booking gets confirmed. Most businesses have never written this down, and the gaps show up as soon as they do.
02Count your last 20 leads
Take your last 20 inquiries and count how many made it through each step: answered, qualified, quoted, followed up, booked. Use the funnel below. Real counts from recent leads beat any general benchmark.
03Find the biggest drop
The step with the largest fall-off is where to start. A big drop after first contact usually means slow replies. A drop after the quote usually means quotes are slow, unclear, or never followed up. Fix one step at a time and count again.
04Give every step an owner
For each step, name who does it and by when. If the answer is "whoever's free," it's the step most likely to slip. Write a short script or checklist for the steps that repeat, so they happen the same way every time.
05Then automate what repeats
Once a step has clear rules, such as an instant reply, a follow-up after two days, or a reminder before the appointment, it's a candidate for automation. Clear process first, then tools. The automation guide shows how.
Your turn
Your last 20 leads, step by step
Enter how many of your recent leads reached each step.
Keep it
Email me this training
You'll get the link to this page and your exercise results, and the next training in the series. One email, no sequence chasing you. Privacy.
Less remembering. More getting on with it.
What automation is, how a follow-up sequence runs from inquiry to booking, and how to pick your first workflow.
Process & sales consulting
See how this part is built and managed inside the Donahue Works system.
Back to the training library
Take the free audit and get the training for your biggest leak.
Want it built for you instead?
We build the complete client acquisition system for you, then manage it, so you can focus on the work. Book a free growth strategy call and we'll map what yours would look like.