Revenue Opportunity Finder

How to use this tool. This playbook is for owners of Australian B2B small and medium businesses who want more revenue without guessing where it will come from. Set aside 60 to 90 minutes with your sales or job data open (your CRM, accounting records or a spreadsheet). You will finish with a ranked shortlist of revenue opportunities, a dollar estimate for each, and three commitments for the next 30 days.

Why it matters

Most owners chase new customers first because it feels like growth. In practice, the quickest and cheapest revenue is usually already in your business: customers who would buy more, quotes that went quiet, prices that have not moved, and services you could offer to people who already trust you.

This tool makes you look in a set order, put a rough dollar figure on each find, and then choose. Ideas are cheap. A ranked list with owners and dates is what changes your numbers.

The method: six stages

1. Baseline. Know your starting numbers.
2. Mine. Find more revenue in current customers.
3. Recover. Win back lost, stalled and dormant work.
4. Lift. Review price, mix and margin.
5. Extend. Test new offers and new markets.
6. Decide. Score every opportunity and commit.

Work in this order. The early stages are lower risk and faster to action than the later ones.

Stage 1: Baseline

You cannot size an opportunity without knowing what a normal year looks like. Use the last 12 months and round sensibly. Estimates are fine.

Prompt: what share of your revenue comes from your top five customers? If it is more than about 40 percent, protecting and growing those relationships belongs high on your list.

Stage 2: Mine your current customers

Existing customers already know you, so the cost of selling to them is low. List your ten best customers by revenue and ask three questions of each.

Prompts to use:

• Which customers buy only one of your services when two or three would suit them?
• Who buys irregularly but has a regular need (maintenance, compliance, supplies, reporting)?
• Where could a recurring agreement replace one-off jobs?
• Who has grown or added sites, staff or projects since they first engaged you?

Script: the account review conversation

"We have worked together for [time]. I would like to spend 20 minutes checking we are looking after you properly. What is coming up in the next 12 months that we should plan for? And is there anything you currently get from someone else that you would rather have in one place?"

Then listen. Write down what they say within an hour of the call.

Stage 3: Recover lost and stalled revenue

Three groups usually hold money: quotes not accepted, customers who stopped buying, and enquiries never converted. Fill in the table from your records for the last 6 to 12 months. List the highest values first.

Script: follow-up on a quiet quote (call or message)

"Hi [name], it is [your name] from [business]. I am closing off our open quotes and wanted to check on the [job] we quoted in [month]. Has the project moved, or is there something in the quote we should adjust? If the timing has changed, I am happy to hold the price until [date] or rescope it."

Script: reactivating a dormant business customer (email)

Subject: Checking in from [Business name]

Hi [name], we last worked together on [job] in [month]. I wanted to see how it has been performing and whether you have anything coming up we could help with. If it is useful, I can put together a short summary of options for [their site or situation].

Regards, [Name, role, business name, business contact details in your signature]

If you would prefer not to receive emails from us, reply with "unsubscribe" and we will remove you.

Compliance note: under the Spam Act 2003, commercial emails and SMS need consent (which can be inferred from an existing relationship, but not always), must clearly identify you as the sender, and must include a working unsubscribe option. If you phone individuals, such as sole traders or homeowners, check the Do Not Call Register first. Handle customer details in line with the Privacy Act. When unsure, get professional advice.

Stage 4: Lift price, mix and margin

A small improvement in price or margin often beats a large increase in sales volume, because it falls straight to profit. Answer these honestly.

• When did you last change your rates or price list?
• Which services or products take the most effort for the least margin?
• Which do customers rarely question on price?
• Where do you discount routinely, and who authorised it?
• Are there add-ons, call-out fees, rush fees or minimum charges you do not currently apply?

For each idea, estimate the effect as: revenue affected x percentage change = annual dollar impact. For example, a 3 percent change on $400,000 of affected revenue is an estimated $12,000 a year, before any customers you might lose. Treat the figure as a planning estimate only. Decisions about pricing should be tested on a few customers first, and tax or financial questions belong with your accountant.

Stage 5: Extend into new offers and markets

Only come here once the earlier stages are logged. Look for adjacent moves: the same customer with a new service, or the same service for a new type of customer.

Prompts: Which enquiries do you currently turn away more than twice a month? Which referrals come from partners such as builders, property managers, accountants or suppliers, and could you formalise that? Which customer type is easiest to serve and most profitable?

Stage 6: Decide with a scoring table

Transfer every opportunity from stages 2 to 5 into one register. Score each from 1 to 5.

• Value: 1 is under $5,000 a year; 5 is $50,000 or more (adjust the bands to your business size).
• Confidence: 1 is a guess; 5 is a customer has already said yes or asked.
• Speed: 1 is more than six months to see cash; 5 is within 30 days.
• Ease: 1 is hard and needs new hires or spend; 5 is you can start this week.

Add the four scores for a total out of 20.

Worked example (fictional)

Hartley Mechanical Services is an invented Perth commercial air-conditioning and refrigeration business with 14 staff and about $2.4 million in annual revenue. The numbers are illustrative.

Hartley's owner commits to the first three. The quote follow-up starts on Monday and the agreement offer is built over the next fortnight, starting with the 10 largest repair-only customers. The rate review is discussed with the accountant, then applied to new quotes first. The retainer idea is parked until the first three are running.

How to read your results

• 16 to 20: do now. Assign an owner and a date this week.
• 12 to 15: plan. Schedule a start within 30 days.
• Under 12: park. Revisit in 90 days, or drop it.

A good outcome is a shortlist of three to five opportunities, with at least one that can bring in cash within 30 days. If your highest-scoring items are all in Stages 2 to 4, that is normal and healthy. If everything is in Stage 5, go back and look harder at your current customers.

Pre-launch checklist

• Baseline numbers filled in from real records, not memory
• Top ten customers reviewed for gaps and extra needs
• All open and lost quotes from the last 6 to 12 months listed
• Dormant customers identified and sorted by past value
• Price list age and discounting habits checked
• Every opportunity scored and ranked
• Each chosen opportunity has one named owner and a start date
• Outreach wording checked against Spam Act, Do Not Call and Privacy requirements
• A review date set in the diary for 30 days from now

Common mistakes

• Starting with new markets. They are the slowest and costliest route. Finish stages 2 to 4 first.
• Listing ideas without dollar values. If you cannot estimate it, you cannot rank it.
• Overstating confidence. Score 5 only when a customer has asked or agreed.
• Choosing too many. More than five active opportunities usually means none get done properly.
• Following up once. Most stalled work needs two or three contacts spaced over a few weeks.
• Changing price without testing. Start with new quotes or a small group, and watch what happens.
• Ignoring consent rules. Check them before you send any bulk email or SMS.

Put it to work this week

1. Complete the Stage 1 baseline and Stage 3 table today, and send the first five quote follow-ups before the end of the week.
2. Book three account review conversations with your top customers using the script in Stage 2.
3. Score your full register and circle the top three opportunities. Write the owner and start date beside each.
4. Choose one price or add-on change to test on new quotes only, and agree how you will measure the result.
5. Put a 30-minute review in your diary for 30 days from now to record what each opportunity actually delivered.

Where Lotus helps

If you would like a second set of eyes on your numbers, Lotus can help you validate estimates, sharpen your offers and build the pricing and pipeline discipline that keeps these opportunities coming. We work with Australian B2B owners to turn a shortlist into a funded, measurable plan. Book a free 30-minute discovery call at lotusstrategic.com.au.