One of my clients came to me overwhelmed and frustrated. Like many small business owners, they had been told by marketers that “all your business needs is more leads.” And for a while, they believed it. They were running a franchise at the time and were under constant pressure from head office to ramp up marketing efforts. The focus was purely on volume—get more leads, bring in more customers, repeat. And they did. Leads were coming in, but their bottom line wasn’t growing. When we took a closer look at the numbers, we uncovered a troubling pattern. Their average cost to acquire a new client was $90, but their average gross profit per client was only $35. They would need to retain that client for three full years just to break even. In short, the more they marketed, the more cash flow problems they created. That’s when we made a strategic pivot. Rather than continuing to chase high volumes of low-margin clients, we re-evaluated their pricing model and shifted focus to a more profitable, targeted client base. We identified who their ideal clients really were and began restructuring their services and messaging to attract those clients specifically. We also implemented a more effective customer journey process—from the moment a lead came in, there were clear steps for nurturing, conversion, retention, and referral. This meant they could grow revenues significantly without relying on more leads. The outcome was powerful: not only did they stop the cash bleed, but they also started to see real, sustainable profits and had a clearer vision for long-term growth.