how to stop sales drift in your construction company

Most construction company owners assume that if they’ve set a sales target and hired a Sales Manager or Biz Dev rep, the pipeline will take care of itself.

But that’s rarely the case.

Without the right oversight, your sales team drifts and by the time you realize it, the pipeline is dry, the leads have slowed, and you’re in a valley that could have been avoided.

At this stage, you’re not just losing a few jobs, you’re exposing the entire business to serious financial risk. You’ve hired more people. You’ve taken on more overhead. You’ve got subs and staff expecting consistent work.

If sales momentum stalls, your bigger company becomes a bigger liability.

All because no one was holding tension on the one thing that keeps everything else moving: a consistent, proactive sales rhythm.

Here’s how to prevent that.

The danger of drifting in sales leadership

Sales Managers and Biz Dev Managers need more than autonomy, they need structure, accountability, and consistent coaching.

Without it:

• They focus on lagging results (like revenue) instead of what drives revenue

• They stay “busy” without actually improving performance

• Pipeline issues show up months later when it’s too late to fix

Lead your sales team with leading metrics

If you're only reviewing closed deals, you're already behind.

Inspect the inputs:

• Number of calls made

• Proposals or estimates sent

• Meetings booked

• Funnel conversion ratios: MQL → SQL → Estimate → Signed Agreement

These are the leading indicators of a healthy sales system.

Why accountability now matters

We often hear, “It’s a busy season, we’ll tighten things up later.”

But here’s the truth:

• Momentum is built in the busy season

• Gaps in oversight now become valleys in Q4

If your Biz Dev Manager isn’t actively prospecting or your Sales Manager isn’t improving close rates today, don’t expect things to magically improve when leads slow down.

How to press in (without micromanaging)

Great leaders coach with clarity, not chaos.

Try this:

• Set weekly scorecard reviews with your sales leaders

  → Only review leading metrics

• Run role-specific check-ins

  → Sales Manager: Close rates, objection handling

  → Biz Dev Manager: Pipeline health, outreach cadence

• Ask tough but clear questions:

  → Where are the gaps?

  → What’s the fix?

  → Who owns it?

Your role as the owner

You don’t need to take over the sales process, but you do need to manage the managers.

A disciplined 30-minute review each week can:

• Prevent misalignment between sales and marketing

• Catch early signs of slippage

• Save 6–12 months of lost momentum

Action for this week: audit your system

Take 15 minutes to ask yourself:

• Are we tracking leading sales metrics?

• Are my sales managers reviewed weekly?

• Do I have visibility into where our pipeline will be in 60–90 days?

If the answer is no, it’s time to tighten the reins before Q4 slips away.

Want help building a high-performance sales leadership system?

👉 Book a strategy call and we’ll walk you through how we help construction companies lead their sales team without micromanaging.

Forward always,

Paul Atherton

CEO and Co-Founder of Highspire