More leads will not fix a leaky sales process

When sales are slow, ‘we need more leads’ sounds wonderfully simple. Sometimes it is true. Often, the business already has enquiries that were answered late, followed up badly or never qualified.

Check the four leaks

How quickly do you reply? How many leads get a proper conversation? How many receive a clear next step? How many disappear after the proposal? One ugly answer can waste a very pretty marketing budget.

Pick one month of leads and follow them from first contact to decision. Do not rely on memory. Memory is loyal to optimism.

Fix before you feed

Give every lead an owner, response time and next action. Once the path works, increase traffic. Then more leads have somewhere sensible to go.

The Revenue Engine Score can help you see whether the real problem is demand, conversion or the system holding both together.