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How to grow when the market won’t

In a flat or declining market, here's how to boost profit without more leads.

July 17, 2025

The market’s not what it used to be.

Across North America, business is flat or slightly down. And while that’s no reason to panic, it is time to rethink your strategy.

This week, we're kicking off a new series: How to grow even when the market won't.

Step 1: Understand Your Sales Funnel (Most Don’t)

Most construction companies think they need more leads.

But often, what they actually need is more funnel clarity.

That’s where this Marketing Data Tracker Scorecard comes in:

👉 Click here and go to File → Make a copy to start using it.

Marketing Data Tracker Scorecard

Use this to:

  • List your marketing sources: Meta, Google Ads, SEO, signage, realtors, public bids, referrals, etc.

  • Track which marketing sources are producing results (and which aren’t)

  • Identify your conversion rates from:

    • Marketing Qualified Lead → Sales Qualified Lead

    • SQL → Design Agreement

    • Design Agreement → Construction Contract

Once you know what’s working, reallocate resources to your highest-performing channels.

Share this framework with your marketing agency and ask for weekly reporting. Most aren’t tracking it properly and asking forces them to level up.

Want the editable version?

Reply with "funnel" and we’ll send this to you directly.

Step 2: Forecast Profit (Not Just Revenue)

If you only track revenue, you’ll miss the full picture.

Instead, calculate monthly gross profit based on your active projects:

  1. Take each project’s total revenue

  2. Estimate gross profit margin (e.g. 20%)

  3. Spread that profit across the project timeline

Example:

A $1M job with 20% gross margin over 10 months = $20K/month in gross profit.

Stack that across all projects to forecast future earnings and compare it to your monthly overhead.

Knowing this early helps you spot upcoming shortfalls before they happen.

What’s Next in the Series

Over the next four issues, we’ll break down tactical ways to grow even in a flat market:

  • Immediate lead gen tactics that don’t take 6 months to pay off

  • Better conversion systems that move people from MQL → Contract faster

  • How to build urgency in sales when buyers are stalling

  • Reworking your marketing spend to get more out of the same budget

Need help fixing your funnel or forecasting future cash flow?

Forward always,

Paul Atherton

CEO and Co-Founder of Highspire