05 Growth & Revenue
Scorecard
Hidden Revenue Audit
A 25-statement diagnostic scorecard that shows where your business is losing revenue through missed enquiries, weak quoting, ignored customers, margin leaks and unbilled work, plus a 90-day action plan.
How to use this tool. This scorecard is for owners and managers of Australian B2B businesses who suspect they are earning less than their effort deserves. It takes about 45 minutes in one sitting, ideally with whoever handles quoting and invoicing. At the end you will have a score out of 100, your three biggest revenue leaks and a 90-day action plan.
Why it matters
Most businesses try to grow by finding new customers. Yet revenue often leaks out of the business you already have: enquiries that go cold, quotes nobody follows up, customers who are never contacted again, discounts given by habit, and work completed but never invoiced.
Fixing a leak is usually faster and cheaper than finding new demand. The customer already exists, the work is already done, or the quote is already written. This audit helps you find the leaks and decide which to fix first.
How the audit works
The audit covers five areas, following the path a dollar takes through your business:
- Enquiry capture and response: do you catch the demand you already generate?
- Quoting and conversion: do quotes turn into jobs?
- Existing customers and repeat work: do you earn more from people who already know you?
- Pricing and margin: do you keep enough of each dollar?
- Billing and cash collection: do you invoice and collect everything you earn?
Each area has five statements. Score each one honestly, based on what actually happens, not what should happen. If you do not know the answer, that is a 0, because a leak you cannot see is still a leak.
Scoring scale
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | Not happening, or I do not know |
| 1 | Rarely happens, and only when someone remembers |
| 2 | Happens sometimes, but inconsistently |
| 3 | Happens most of the time, with some gaps |
| 4 | Happens every time, is written down and is reviewed |
The scorecard
Area 1: Enquiry capture and response
| # | Statement | Score (0 to 4) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Every enquiry (phone, email, website, referral) is recorded in one place, such as your CRM or a spreadsheet. | |
| 2 | Enquiries get a real response within one business day. | |
| 3 | Missed calls and after-hours enquiries are followed up, not left to chance. | |
| 4 | You know which sources bring your most profitable work, not just the most enquiries. | |
| 5 | One named person owns each enquiry until it is won or closed. | |
| Area 1 total (out of 20) |
Area 2: Quoting and conversion
| # | Statement | Score (0 to 4) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Every quote is followed up at least twice within 14 days. | |
| 7 | You track your quote win rate and record why quotes are lost. | |
| 8 | Quotes go out within an agreed timeframe, such as three business days. | |
| 9 | Quotes include options (for example, standard and premium scope) rather than one price. | |
| 10 | Assumptions, exclusions and extras are written into every quote. | |
| Area 2 total (out of 20) |
Area 3: Existing customers and repeat work
| # | Statement | Score (0 to 4) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | You can name your top 20 customers by revenue and when you last spoke to each. | |
| 12 | Past customers are contacted on a regular schedule, with consent and a working unsubscribe for email and SMS. | |
| 13 | You ask for referrals or reviews after completing work. | |
| 14 | You offer follow-on work, servicing or maintenance agreements after each job. | |
| 15 | You know why customers stopped buying from you in the last 12 months. | |
| Area 3 total (out of 20) |
Area 4: Pricing and margin
| # | Statement | Score (0 to 4) |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Prices are reviewed at least once a year and after major cost increases. | |
| 17 | You know your gross margin by job type or service line. | |
| 18 | Discounts follow a rule and need approval, rather than being given on the spot. | |
| 19 | Supplier and subcontractor cost increases are passed on promptly. | |
| 20 | Small jobs and demanding customers are priced to cover the true cost of your time. | |
| Area 4 total (out of 20) |
Area 5: Billing and cash collection
| # | Statement | Score (0 to 4) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Completed work is invoiced within two business days, or at agreed milestones. | |
| 22 | Variations and extra work are agreed in writing before they start, then invoiced. | |
| 23 | Time, materials and expenses are fully captured and charged. | |
| 24 | Overdue invoices are chased on a set schedule. | |
| 25 | You review unbilled work and overdue debtors every week. | |
| Area 5 total (out of 20) |
Transfer your totals
| Area | Total (out of 20) | Area percentage (total x 5) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Enquiry capture and response | ||
| 2. Quoting and conversion | ||
| 3. Existing customers and repeat work | ||
| 4. Pricing and margin | ||
| 5. Billing and cash collection | ||
| Overall (out of 100) |
Your overall total out of 100 is also your overall percentage.
Size the prize
A score tells you where to look. A dollar estimate tells you how hard to push. For each of your three lowest areas, make a rough, conservative estimate using your own records. Treat it as an estimate, not a forecast.
| Leak | How I estimated it | Estimated annual value (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
Examples of simple methods: quotes sent but never followed up, multiplied by a cautious conversion rate and your average job value; unbilled variations found in the last three months, multiplied by four; or a one-percentage-point margin lift on annual revenue.
Reading your results
| Overall score | Band | What it means | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 to 100 percent | Tight ship | Few leaks. Your systems are working. | Protect what works and test one growth lever. |
| 60 to 79 percent | Solid, with leaks | Good foundations, but real money is escaping in specific places. | Fix your two lowest areas first. |
| 40 to 59 percent | Significant leakage | Revenue depends on memory and goodwill, not process. | Fix billing first, then quote follow-up. |
| 0 to 39 percent | Critical | You are likely doing the hard work and losing much of the reward. | Stop adding new activity. Fix billing and enquiry response this month. |
Whatever your band, look at the area scores as well. Any area below 50 percent (under 10 out of 20) needs attention even if your overall score is healthy. Where two areas are low, fix the one closest to cash first. Billing, then quoting, then repeat work usually pays back fastest.
Worked example (fictional)
Harbourline Mechanical Services is a made-up Perth commercial maintenance business with 14 staff. The owner scored the audit with her office manager.
| Area | Total (out of 20) |
|---|---|
| 1. Enquiry capture and response | 13 |
| 2. Quoting and conversion | 8 |
| 3. Existing customers and repeat work | 9 |
| 4. Pricing and margin | 12 |
| 5. Billing and cash collection | 10 |
| Overall | 52 (52 percent) |
That placed Harbourline in "Significant leakage". Quoting was the surprise: quotes went out promptly but were never followed up. In billing, technicians completed extra work on site that never reached an invoice. Her three decisions were a two-touch quote follow-up routine, a one-page variation form signed before extra work, and a Friday 20-minute review of unbilled jobs. She left pricing alone for 90 days.
Your 90-day action plan
Choose no more than five actions in total. Start with your lowest-scoring statements, not the easiest ones.
| Period | Area and statement number | Action | Owner | Measure of success | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 30 | |||||
| Days 1 to 30 | |||||
| Days 31 to 60 | |||||
| Days 31 to 60 | |||||
| Days 61 to 90 |
Make every action specific enough that someone else could do it. "Follow up quotes" is an intention. "Call or email every open quote on day 3 and day 10, logged in the CRM" is an action.
Common mistakes
- Scoring aspirations. If it happens "when we are not busy", it scores a 2 at best.
- Doing the audit alone. Your office manager or bookkeeper often knows where the leaks are.
- Fixing everything at once. Five improvements that stick beat fifteen that fade by February.
- Chasing discounts and ignoring billing. Unbilled work is revenue you have already earned.
- Mailing past customers carelessly. Under the Spam Act 2003, commercial emails and SMS need consent, must identify you as the sender and must include a working unsubscribe. Keep customer data secure and use it in line with the Privacy Act. If you are unsure, get professional advice.
- Never re-scoring. Repeat the audit at day 90 to see whether the changes worked.
Put it to work this week
- Complete the scorecard today, in one sitting, with the person who handles quoting or invoicing.
- Choose your three lowest areas and complete the "Size the prize" table with conservative estimates.
- Block 30 minutes to go through every open quote from the last 60 days and contact each one.
- Check the last month of completed jobs against what you invoiced, and invoice anything missing.
- Fill in your 90-day action table, give every action a named owner and book a 20-minute review in your diary for day 30.
Where Lotus helps
Lotus Strategic Services can run this audit with you using your real numbers, size each leak more precisely and build the systems that keep revenue from slipping away again. We work with Australian B2B small and medium businesses to turn the findings into a practical plan your team will follow. Book a free 30-minute discovery call at lotusstrategic.com.au.