For the last few years, business has been easy. The post-COVID boom created a tide of demand so high that even businesses with terrible processes were winning work. But the tide is going out, consumer confidence is dropping, and that “easy” work is drying up.
The reality is that most businesses are currently sitting on a goldmine they’ve completely ignored.
In episode twelve of Raising The Bar, Mel and Mon dive into the “lost leads” of the boom – the potential clients and opportunities you likely failed to document when your pipeline was full. They discuss why the “referral-only” model is failing in a tightening market and how to stop the bleed by reclaiming your data.
If you’re feeling the pinch and wondering where your next lead is coming from, this episode will show you that the answer is probably already in your inbox.
Takeaways:
- The “Boom” masked bad habits. When demand is high, you can get away with poor follow-up. In a tightening market, those missing systems are now costing you real money.
- A full pipeline is a dangerous distraction. Many businesses let leads disappear simply because they were too busy to deal with them. Now is the time to go back and find them.
- Systemisation doesn’t have to be complex. Whether it’s a high-end CRM like HubSpot or a simple “black book” of quotes, you need a single source of truth for every person who asks for a price.
- Mine your own data. Stop looking for “new” leads until you’ve searched your email history for old proposals and used your accounting software (Xero/MYOB) to find clients who haven’t returned in 12 months.
- Focus on Brand Resonance. The goal of a nurture program isn’t just to sell; it’s to stay top-of-mind so you are the only logical choice when the client is finally ready to pull the trigger.
- Sincere outreach wins. Re-engaging past clients for feedback or a simple check-in is the fastest way to restart a stalled conversation.
Data owners will win the next two years. The businesses that survive the next 24 months won’t be the ones shouting the loudest; they’ll be the ones who own, nurture, and actually use their database.
Raising The Bar is a fortnightly podcast hosted by Mel Strutt that offers blunt, experience-backed marketing advice for Australian business owners. Joined by Monique Jecks, they tackle what matters, call out what doesn’t, and raise the standard of what marketing should deliver.
