Most trade owners in Orlando ‘feel’ like they need more leads, or ‘feel’ like their techs are bad at sales, but ‘feelings’ don’t pay the invoices. If you aren’t tracking your Leads, Appointments, Presentations, and Sales (LAPS), you are flying blind in your own business.
I’m Jeff Secrease, and through Trades Revenue Diagnostics, I help owners stop guessing and start managing by the numbers. You don’t need fancy software to start; you just need a simple 15-minute weekly scorecard to identify exactly where the money is leaking out of your pipeline.
That’s what the LAPS scorecard is for:
If you track these four numbers every week, you’ll always know what to fix next.
Why “Managing by Vibes” is a Broken Model
❌ When it’s broken: You throw money at marketing because you “think” you need leads, only to realize later that your CSRs are only booking 30% of calls or your techs aren’t giving real presentations.
✅ When it works: You use a LAPS Scorecard to see the skinny parts of the pipe. You know exactly which stage of the Home Services Customer Journey is failing, allowing you to test one specific fix at a time.
Step 1: Define the Four Pillars of LAPS for Your Business
Before you track anything, you need clear definitions.
For a typical service business (roofing, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, etc.):
- Lead
Anyone who raises their hand:- Calls your business
- Fills out a form
- Messages you on Facebook/Instagram/Google
- Walks in and asks for info
- Appointments
A lead that gets a specific time on the schedule:- In‑person estimate / visit
- Zoom or phone consult
- Presentations
When you actually present a real offer:- You give a written quote
- You show options/pricing
- You recommend a solution
- Sales
They say yes and commit:- Signed agreement
- Deposit paid
- Card charged / check collected
Write these down for your business so your whole team shares the same language.
If this feels like “a lot,” that’s normal. It is a lot the first time you do it. After it’s set up, it’s 10–15 minutes a week. Most of my clients hire me just to build this once so they can stop guessing and start managing by numbers.
Step 2: Build Your One-Page Weekly Scorecard
You don’t need fancy software. Start with paper, a whiteboard, or a simple spreadsheet.
Columns:
- Week of: [Date]
- Leads
- Appointments
- Presentations
- Sales
- Revenue (optional but helpful)
It looks like this:
| Week | Leads | Appointments | Presentations | Sales | Revenue |
| Feb 3–9 | 42 | 42 | 18 | 9 | $38,500 |
That’s it.
Step 3: Assign Ownership (If Everyone is Responsible, No One Is)
If “everyone” is responsible, no one is responsible.
- Pick one person to own updating the scorecard every week.
- Might be you at first.
- Later: office manager, CSR, VA.
- Pick one day and time to update it.
- Example: Monday at 9 a.m. for the prior week.
Rule: it should take 15 minutes or less once your definitions are clear.
Where to pull numbers from:
- Phone system / call logs
- CRM / job management software
- Calendar bookings
- Invoices or accounting
Don’t obsess over perfection. Directionally correct is 100x better than “we don’t know.”
If any one of those steps feels confusing, slow, or risky from their perspective, money leaks out of your business.
Step 4: Calculate Conversion Rates to Find the Skinny Pipe
Once you have counts for a week, calculate your conversion rates:
- Leads → Appointments = Appointments ÷ Leads
- Appointments → Presentations = Presentations ÷ Appointments
- Presentations → Sales = Sales ÷ Presentations
Example:
- 42 Leads
- 28 Appointments
- 18 Presentations
- 9 Sales
Your conversion:
- 28 / 42 = 67% of leads became appointments
- 18 / 28 = 64% of appointments got a real presentation
- 9 / 18 = 50% of presentations became sales
Now you can see where the pipe is skinny.
Step 5: Use the Numbers to Fix Your Strategic Guest Journey
Look at your numbers and ask:
- Is the drop big from Leads → Appointments?
- Problem: slow response, weak booking process.
- Fix: Answer faster, tighten scripts, use reminders.
- Is the drop big from Appointments → Presentations?
- Problem: no‑shows, poor follow‑through, techs not getting to a real quote.
- Fix: Better confirmations, tighter process, expectations.
- Is the drop big from Presentations → Sales?
- Problem: messy options, weak payment methods, no guarantees.
- Fix: Good/Better/Best, financing, clear guarantees.
Now you’re not guessing where to focus; the numbers tell you. If all three drops are reasonable but Lead volume is low, then yes: you actually need more leads.
For the first time, you’re not guessing where to focus.
Step 6: Make LAPS your weekly meeting agenda
Most “meetings” are just people talking in circles.
Use your scorecard to make them useful.
Once a week, ask:
- Where did we lose the most people this week? (Which step?)
- What is one change we can test at that step this week?
- Who owns that change and by when?
Nothing fancy. Just:
- Look at LAPS
- Pick the weakest link
- Test one improvement
Do that 52 times a year and your business will look completely different.
Why this matters (and why almost no one does it)
Most owners think they have a marketing problem.
What they actually have is a measurement problem.
If you don’t know:
- How many leads you get
- How many turn into appointments
- How many get quotes
- How many say yes…
…you’re managing by vibes. And vibes don’t pay invoices.
A simple LAPS scorecard:
- Makes every dollar you spend on marketing and staff go further
- Shows you exactly where money is leaking
- Makes your team focus on the right fixes
If you want help building your LAPS scorecard
Measurement is the first step toward professional freedom. Once you have a LAPS scorecard, you stop chasing every ‘bright shiny object’ and start fixing the specific friction points in your Strategic Guest Journey.
Stop flying blind in your business.
[Download the Free Strategic Guest Journey Map] to see how your LAPS numbers map to the customer’s psychological experience.
Or, if you want me to help you find the biggest leak in your pipeline right now, [Take the Profit Power Quiz] to get your personalized LAPS scorecard and diagnostic plan.
Who I help in Orlando & Central Florida
I work with local service businesses around Orlando, contractors, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, and small businesses who want more predictable revenue from the leads they’re already getting.
