Contractor Sales & Pipeline Diagnostic
A focused, fixed-fee audit of where the money is leaking in your sales pipeline — lead sources, close rate, follow-up, and speed-to-lead.
What is a contractor sales diagnostic?
When sales go feast or famine, most owners blame the market. When we actually look, the cause is usually closer to home: a lead source that costs more than it brings in, quotes that sit for a week, or a phone nobody calls back fast enough. The Sales Diagnostic is a fixed-fee look at where your leads come from, how they move toward a signed contract, and where the good ones die along the way. You get a written summary with a prioritized 90-day plan, and usually a lead-source tracker and a follow-up template you can start using the same week.
The math behind this engagement: home improvement leads cost $400 to $850 each in 2025, even the best contractors close only 30 to 40% of quoted leads, 80% of sales require five or more follow-ups, and 44% of contractors give up after one. MIT research shows that responding to a lead within 5 minutes converts at roughly 9× the rate of responding within 1 hour. This diagnostic measures all of those numbers against your real data.
A lot of that pipeline runs through whoever answers your phone. Your CSR — the customer service rep booking calls at the front desk — is your real speed-to-lead: if they're slow to call back, letting quotes sit, or not booking the appointment, good leads die before they ever reach you. Part of fixing sales is fixing how inbound calls get handled and turned into booked jobs — whether you run a remodeling company, a custom build, or any trade whose next job depends on the phone being worked right — not just the owner's close rate on the quotes you already send.
This engagement is not running marketing campaigns, managing paid ads, building a CRM, or generating leads. It is analytical — measure what's working, what isn't, and rank what to cut.
Who is this for?
The sales diagnostic is built for:
- Construction businesses doing $250K to $10M in annual revenue
- Owners whose sales feel like feast or famine
- Contractors who can't say with confidence which lead sources actually pay off
- Businesses that have been doing paid advertising (Google Ads, Facebook, HomeStars) without measuring ROI per channel
- Owners who think they should be closing more of the leads they already get
This is the right starting engagement if you're saying any of these out loud:
- “My pipeline is either too full or empty — nothing in between.”
- “We pay for Google Ads / Facebook / HomeStars but I don't know if they work.”
- “Referrals are great but we can't rely on them.”
- “We send quotes and never hear back.”
- “I have leads but I'm not closing what I used to.”
If you're more concerned about profit on the work you already have, see the Profit & Accounting Diagnostic. If the owner is the operational bottleneck, see the Systems & Operations Diagnostic.
What you walk away with
Typical outputs — what gets delivered depends on the quality of the available lead data:
- A clearer picture of lead sources and which appear worth more or less attention
- A practical view of funnel conversion and the leakiest stage, based on the records available
- A review of response speed and follow-up discipline where that data exists
- A comparison of selected won and lost quotes to spot recurring patterns
- A prioritized set of sales-process fixes for the next 90 days
- Reusable tools or templates populated where feasible — typically a lead-source tracker or a follow-up template
What's included
- Intake review of your last 12 months of leads, marketing spend, and sample quotes
- Lead-source review and ROI assessment where the data supports it
- Funnel and conversion review (Lead → Site Visit → Quote → Won)
- Speed-to-lead and follow-up rhythm review where the data supports it
- Review of selected won and lost quotes
- One 60-minute findings call, recorded, with transcript provided
- Written summary, approximately 8–12 pages, with a prioritized 90-day action plan
- Reusable tools or templates populated where feasible — such as a lead-source tracker or follow-up template
What you need to provide
- Last 12 months of leads — a spreadsheet, CSV export, or screenshot of your CRM. For each lead: date received, source, estimated value, status (won/lost/dead/quoted), response time
- Last 12 months revenue by source (or just total revenue — we'll reconstruct from leads)
- Marketing spend by channel for the last 12 months (Google Ads, Facebook, signage, SEO, sponsorships, vehicle wraps)
- Your current quoting process in bullets — how you price, what you send, who delivers it, follow-up cadence
- 3 won quotes and 3 lost quotes from the last 6 months (anonymized if you prefer)
- One paragraph on what a good sales month looks like vs. a bad one
If your lead data is non-existent (no CRM, no spreadsheet, no record of who came in last year), the engagement pauses for a 60-day “track everything” period using a provided template. We do not run the diagnostic on guesses.
How it works
| Step | What happens | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Free discovery call | Day 0 |
| 2 | Agreement signed; 50% deposit ($750) | Day 0–2 |
| 3 | Drive folder shared; you upload lead data + marketing spend | Days 2–7 |
| 4 | Analysis: ROI ranking, funnel math, speed-to-lead, quote comparison | Days 7–14 |
| 5 | 60-minute findings call | Day 14–17 |
| 6 | Written summary delivered; final 50% due | Within 10 business days of findings call |
Total turnaround: 2–3 weeks from receipt of complete intake. About 2–3 hours of owner time for intake (lead data is the time-sink).
Pricing and payment terms
Fee: $1,500 CAD, fixed. Plus GST.
Payment: 50% on signing ($750). 50% on delivery of the written summary ($750).
Refund policy: Full refund if intake review reveals the engagement isn't a fit. No refunds once analysis begins.
Credit toward Fast Track: 50% of the diagnostic fee credited toward Contractor Fast Track if you start within 30 days of receiving the written summary.
What this is not
- Done-for-you CRM setup — recommended, not built
- Done-for-you sales management
- A marketing campaign service — no paid-ad management or lead generation
- Sales call training for your team — that's coaching engagement work
- A guarantee of increased close rate or revenue — closing more work depends on market conditions, lead quality, sales skill, pricing, and follow-through outside this scope
Frequently asked questions
How much does a contractor sales pipeline audit cost?
$1,500 CAD, fixed-fee. The engagement runs 2–3 weeks and delivers a written summary with lead-source review, funnel and conversion findings, speed-to-lead observations, and reusable tools where the data supports them.
What is speed-to-lead in construction?
Speed-to-lead is the time elapsed between an inbound inquiry and the contractor's first response. MIT and Kellogg School research shows that leads contacted in 5 minutes convert at roughly 9× the rate of leads contacted in 1 hour. The diagnostic measures the contractor's actual speed-to-lead and identifies the conversion-rate impact.
What is a 5-touch follow-up sequence?
A 5-touch follow-up sequence is a structured 14-day post-quote cadence: Touch 1 same-day phone or text confirmation, Touch 2 light email check-in at day 2, Touch 3 real phone conversation at day 5, Touch 4 email with added value at day 8, Touch 5 clean closer phone or text at day 14. Industry data: 80% of sales require 5+ follow-ups, but 44% of contractors give up after one. Where your data supports it, a follow-up template along these lines is part of what gets delivered.
Do I need a CRM to do this?
No. A spreadsheet of leads with date, source, value, status, and response time is enough. About 40% of clients arrive with no CRM. The diagnostic identifies the right CRM fit if you want to add one.
What if my data is incomplete?
If you have at least 30 leads from the last 12 months, the analysis is meaningful. If you have fewer than 30, the engagement pauses for a 60-day tracking period using a provided template before analysis.
Can I keep the lead-source ROI tracker after the engagement?
Yes. The tracker is populated with your numbers and yours to keep. Many clients use it as an ongoing management tool, entering every new lead going forward.
Who runs this diagnostic
35+ years in construction and project management across BC. Managed civil and building construction for First Nations communities. BOABC Certified Building Inspector. Building Science consultant. Twenty-five years running his own companies. Former contract project manager, Metro Vancouver and all over BC. Sales analysis is informed by real numbers from BC's current construction market, not generic theory.
Read the full story →Start with a free discovery call.
Tell me what's going on with your sales pipeline. I'll tell you honestly whether this diagnostic, coaching, or neither is the right next move.
Book a Free Discovery Call
Tumbleweed Consulting · Eddy Davis · Langley, BC
250-938-7388 · info@tumbleweedconsulting.ca