The Roofing Revenue Leak Map

The 7 places money disappears inside your CRM — and how to stop it.

Most roofing companies don’t have a revenue problem.

They have a leakage problem.

Revenue leaks are the silent killers of profitability because they don’t show up like normal expenses. There’s no invoice. No vendor bill. No obvious line item called:

“Money We Accidentally Lost This Month”

Instead, leaks show up as:

• deals that stall and disappear

• follow-up that never happens

• estimates that go out late

• appointments that don’t get confirmed

• jobs sold wrong

• change orders that never get billed

• reviews and referrals that never get asked for

And the worst part?

Most owners assume this is normal.

It’s not.

It’s predictable.
It’s measurable.
And once you can see it, you can stop it.

That’s why we use what I call the Roofing Revenue Leak Map.

Because if you don’t know where money is leaking… you’ll keep trying to “grow” while your bucket has holes.

Why Roofing Companies Feel Like They’re Growing — But Still Can’t Breathe

This is the most common story in the industry:

• the phones are ringing

• jobs are happening

• marketing is working

• the owner is exhausted

• cash flow feels tight

• margins are shrinking

• and everyone feels behind

What’s happening?

You’re increasing volume…
but you’re leaking money at every handoff.

Growth doesn’t fix leaks.

Growth magnifies leaks.

So if your business feels busier but not healthier, your first move isn’t more leads.

Your first move is plugging the holes.

The 7 Roofing Revenue Leaks

Here are the seven most common places roofing companies leak revenue.

You might be dealing with one.

But most companies are dealing with four or five at the same time.

Leak #1: Slow Lead Response

A lead comes in. Nobody answers. The customer moves on.

This leak is brutal because it’s completely invisible to most owners.

You don’t even know the deal existed.

Leak symptoms:

• missed calls

• form fills sitting in the CRM

• leads going to one salesperson’s phone

• response time measured in hours, not minutes

Plug it:

• respond in under 5 minutes

• route leads automatically

• build a backup response plan

• track speed-to-lead daily

If you fix nothing else, fix this.

Speed is money.

Leak #2: No-Show Appointments

A rep books an appointment. The customer doesn’t show.

That’s a cost leak and a morale leak.

Because every no-show wastes:

• drive time

• rep energy

• schedule capacity

• and opportunity cost

Leak symptoms:

• high no-show rate

• inconsistent confirmation

• no pre-appointment reminder workflow

• no “rescue sequence” when customers go cold

Plug it:

• send confirmation immediately

• send reminder the day before + day of

• create a simple “confirm” reply text

• have reschedule links ready

Appointments don’t vanish because customers are flaky.

They vanish because uncertainty grows when communication is weak.

Leak #3: Estimate Turnaround Time

This is one of the biggest leaks in roofing.

Customers don’t “think about it” for a week.

They decide without you.

The longer your estimate takes, the more likely you lose the deal.

Leak symptoms:

• estimates delivered 2–7 days later

• proposals stuck in drafts

• “I’ll send it tonight” becomes tomorrow

• poor pipeline discipline

Plug it:

• standardize your estimate workflow

• build templates + pricing rules

• track “appointment → proposal” time

• set a same-day estimate standard where possible

Speed creates confidence.

Leak #4: Untracked Follow-Up

This is the most common leak — and the most painful.

Deals don’t die because customers say no.

Deals die because nobody follows up consistently.

Or worse…

Salespeople follow up, but it’s invisible to the business.

If the follow-up isn’t in the CRM, it didn’t happen.

Leak symptoms:

• “I’ll follow up later” without a task

• no automation for stalled deals

• inconsistent contact cadence

• follow-up happening in personal phones and DMs

Plug it:

• enforce follow-up task creation

• create stalled-deal triggers

• build a simple follow-up cadence (Day 1, Day 3, Day 7, Day 14)

• track “touches per deal” and “days stalled”

Follow-up is not effort.

It’s a system.

Leak #5: Financing and Documentation Stall

Roofing companies lose deals at the finish line all the time.

The customer is emotionally committed…
but the paperwork kills momentum.

Financing links don’t get sent.
Documents don’t get signed.
Insurance paperwork sits.

This is the slow death leak.

Leak symptoms:

• “pending financing” for weeks

• contracts not signed for days

• unclear next step messaging

• no one owns the paperwork stage

Plug it:

• make next steps automatic

• send financing + contract immediately

• add a “paperwork owner” in your process

• track time in finance stage

The customer’s urgency is highest at commitment.

If you let time pass, you lose them.

Leak #6: Change Orders Not Captured

This leak is margin destruction.

A job changes in production — decking, rot, chimney flashing, upgrades — but the billing never catches up.

Or the change is agreed verbally and never documented.

Leak symptoms:

• production making field decisions

• supplements missing

• invoices not matching reality

• profits shrinking mysteriously

Plug it:

• change order workflow with required documentation

• standard pricing for common upgrades

• production coordinator flags changes immediately

• invoice cannot close without change order confirmation

If you don’t capture change orders, you’re installing extra work for free.

That’s not customer service.

That’s leaking margin.

Leak #7: No Review + Referral Engine

This is the biggest long-term leak.

Because reviews and referrals aren’t just nice to have.

They determine:

• close rate

• ad performance

• cost per acquisition

• trust

• brand strength

Every job that ends without a review request is a missed growth asset.

Leak symptoms:

• review requests are inconsistent

• only happy customers get asked

• production doesn’t own the customer experience

• referrals happen accidentally

Plug it:

• review request automation tied to completion

• customer success workflow

• referral ask script for site supervisors

• track review request completion rate

You can spend money on leads…
or you can build a referral engine.

One scales margins.

The other scales stress.

Why These Leaks Are CRM Leaks — Not Sales Problems

Most owners treat these issues as “people problems.”

But most of them are systems problems.

That’s why they show up repeatedly, even with good employees.

Your CRM is not just a database.

It’s the system that should prevent leaks by enforcing:

• follow-up

• speed

• process consistency

• handoffs

• documentation

• accountability

If your CRM doesn’t enforce these things, it isn’t helping.

It’s just tracking chaos.

The Fix: The V/C/T Leak Dashboard

Here’s how to stop guessing.

Track these three things in every stage:

V = Volume

How much is flowing through the system?

• leads per week

• appointments booked

• proposals sent

• jobs scheduled

C = Conversion

What percent moves to the next stage?

• lead → appointment

• appointment → proposal

• proposal → close

T = Time

How long does each stage take?

• lead → first contact

• appointment → proposal

• proposal → close

• close → install

If you can see V, C, and T — you can spot the leak immediately.

Leaks always show up as:

• conversion drop

• time expansion

• volume bottleneck

Action Plan: Plug the Leaks This Month

Here’s what to do right now:

Step 1: Map Your Revenue Journey

Write the stages on a whiteboard:

Lead → Appointment → Proposal → Close → Production → Invoice → Review/Referral

Step 2: Identify Your Biggest Leak

Ask:
Where do deals stall? Where does time expand? Where does conversion drop?

Step 3: Build One Fix at a Time

Don’t rebuild everything.

Plug one leak.
Measure.
Then plug the next.

Step 4: Add Leak Alerts

Your CRM should notify you when:

• a lead hasn’t been contacted in 5 minutes

• a deal hasn’t been touched in 3 days

• an estimate hasn’t been sent in 24 hours

• paperwork is stalled

• a job is complete but review request wasn’t sent

Leaks are predictable.

So build alerts.

Step 5: Review Weekly

Leak control isn’t a one-time project.

It’s a weekly maintenance habit.

Final Thought

A lot of roofers think growth means more marketing.

But real growth means:

the same amount of marketing produces more revenue.

And the fastest way to do that is plugging revenue leaks.

Because if your bucket isn’t leaking…

every lead becomes more valuable.

Every appointment converts better.

Every job produces trust.

Every review makes ads cheaper.

That’s how you scale profitably.

Want help finding and plugging your revenue leaks?

At RBP Roofing Business Partner, we help roofing companies build CRM + marketing systems that don’t just track leads — they close gaps, eliminate leakage, and create predictable growth.

If you want a Leak Map Audit of your CRM and pipeline, we’ll show you exactly where money is disappearing — and how to stop it.

You only get one name.
Your reputation is everything.
And what’s right is right.