In many Australian small businesses, revenue isn't just lost to competitors—it's lost through the cracks of a leaky sales process. Identifying these leaks means the difference between a business that struggles to scale and one that converts every possible lead into a loyal customer.
Think of your sales process like a garden hose; even a few small pinpricks can significantly reduce the pressure at the nozzle. This guide will help you find where the water is escaping so you can patch the holes and boost your bottom line.
Prerequisites
Before we dive in, make sure you have the following handy:- Access to your CRM (e.g., HubSpot, Pipedrive, or even a well-organised spreadsheet).
- Your sales data from the last 3–6 months.
- A rough outline of your current customer journey (from first contact to final invoice).
- An open mind—be prepared to find that some of your 'best' processes are actually holding you back.
---
Step 1: Map Your Actual Sales Journey (Not the Imaginary One)
We often have a 'perfect' version of the sales process in our heads, but the reality is usually a bit messier. Grab a piece of paper or a whiteboard and map out every single touchpoint a customer has with your business.
What you should see: A flow that starts with a lead inquiry (perhaps from a Facebook Ad or a Google search), moves to a discovery call, then a quote, and finally a closed deal. Pro tip from experience: Don't just list the big steps. Include the 'invisible' ones, like when a lead waits three days for a callback. That wait time is a massive leak. If you’re a Brisbane-based service business, note down if leads are coming in via your website form versus a direct phone call—they often behave differently.Step 2: Calculate Conversion Rates Between Stages
Now, let's look at the numbers. You need to know how many people move from one stage to the next.
- Total Leads -> Discovery Calls Booked
- Calls Booked -> Quotes Sent
- Quotes Sent -> Deals Won
Step 3: Identify the 'Ghosting' Point
Every business has a stage where leads simply disappear. In Australia, we call it 'ghosting,' and it usually happens right after the price is mentioned.
Real observation: If you find that leads go cold after receiving a PDF quote, the leak is likely your follow-up process. Most small business owners send one email and then wait for the phone to ring. Spoiler: It rarely does. Pro Tip: Check your 'Time to First Response'. If it takes your team more than 4 hours to respond to a Brisbane local's inquiry, your conversion rate drops by up to 391%. Speed is the best patch for a leaky funnel.Step 4: Audit Your Follow-Up Cadence
Yes, this step is annoyingly fiddly. Bear with it. Look at your last 20 'Lost' leads. How many times did you actually follow up with them?
- 0-1 times: This is a sieve, not a funnel.
- 2-3 times: Better, but you're still leaving money on the table.
- 5+ times: Now we’re talking.
Australian customers generally appreciate a polite follow-up, but they hate being hounded. The leak here is often the lack of a structured 'nurture' sequence. If you don't have a system that reminds you to call back in two days, you’re losing revenue.
Step 5: Check for 'Admin Friction'
Sometimes the leak isn't a lack of interest; it's that you've made it too hard for people to give you money.
Screenshot description: Look at your 'Quote' or 'Contract' page. Does it require a printer and a scanner? If I’m a busy tradie in Fortitude Valley trying to sign your contract on my iPhone, and I can't do it with my thumb, I might put it off and forget. The Fix: Use digital signing tools like DocuSign or PandaDoc. It sounds small, but removing that 'admin friction' can plug a 10-15% revenue leak overnight.Step 6: Review Your Lead Qualification (The ABN Check)
Are you spending hours quoting for people who can't afford you? This is a 'Time Leak.'
Context for Aussie Business: If you are a B2B company, are you checking if they have an active ABN or are a registered company before spending three hours on a custom proposal?(Skip this if you're a sole trader selling low-cost items—it's only relevant if your sales cycle involves heavy manual work or custom quoting.)
Step 7: Listen to the 'No's'
When a lead says no, do you ask why? Most people just click 'Closed Lost' and move on.
Common mistake to avoid: Assuming it's always 'price.' Often, when you dig deeper, the leak was actually 'trust' or 'timing.' If they say "it's too expensive," it actually means "I don't see the value compared to the cost." That's a leak in your presentation, not your pricing.---
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- The 'Set and Forget' Trap: Thinking that once you've set up an automated email, it's working perfectly. Links break, and tone of voice gets outdated.
- Over-complicating the CRM: If your sales team (even if it's just you!) finds the CRM too hard to use, they won't log data. No data = no way to find leaks.
- Ignoring the 'MQL' vs 'SQL' distinction: Don't treat a random eBook downloader (Marketing Qualified Lead) the same as someone asking for a quote (Sales Qualified Lead). You'll burn out chasing the wrong people.
Troubleshooting
"I don't have enough data to see a pattern." If you're only getting 2-3 leads a month, your 'leak' isn't in the sales process—it's in your lead generation. You need more 'water' in the hose before you can find the holes. "My conversion rates are fine, but I'm still not making profit." Your leak might be in your pricing or fulfillment rather than sales. Check if your 'Cost of Goods Sold' (COGS) has crept up recently—inflation has hit Brisbane businesses hard lately, and your old margins might not work anymore. "The interface looks different to what you described." Don't worry if this screen looks different—Google and CRM providers change their layouts constantly. Focus on the logic: Find where people enter, where they leave, and how long they stay in between.Next Steps
Now that you've identified where the holes are, it's time to patch them.- Pick one leak: Don't try to fix everything at once. Fix the biggest drop-off point first.
- Automate your follow-ups: Set up a simple 3-step email sequence for people who haven't responded to a quote.
- Review monthly: Put a 30-minute meeting in your calendar once a month to look at your conversion data.
Almost there! Plugging these leaks is the fastest way to grow without spending an extra cent on advertising.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the data or your CRM feels like a labyrinth, we can help you audit your RevOps. Contact the team at Local Marketing Group: https://lmgroup.au/contact