A Monday report is only worth reading if each number leads to something you'll do this week. Dan Kennedy puts it as a question to ask before anyone hands you information: once I have this, how will I act on it, for profit? Ask that of every figure on your Monday sheet, keep the ones with a clear answer, and drop the rest.
Why do most reports get ignored?
Because they're built to be complete. Twenty numbers, no idea which one matters, and nothing tells you what to do next. So the report gets opened once, admired, and never again.
Kennedy is harder on it than I am. He says anything you can't put on a bank deposit slip isn't a result. Likes and page views don't count. Calls, jobs and payments do.
Which numbers pass the test?
Here's how I'd sort the usual candidates.
| Number | What you'd do with it this week |
|---|---|
| Missed calls not returned | Call them back today. |
| Estimates still open | Follow up on the oldest ones. |
| Invoices past 30 days | Send the letter or make the call. |
| Jobs won | Ask those customers for a review and a referral. |
| Website visits | Usually nothing. Watch calls instead. |
Every number in the top four rows points to a person you can contact. That's the kind worth waking up to.
Why does every number need a date?
Because stale numbers send people in the wrong direction. If the past-due total came from an export three weeks old, your office might chase a customer who paid last Tuesday. Put the source and the "good through" date next to every figure, and don't act on anything too old.
Keep the sheet short
Five or six numbers is plenty. If you can't say what you'd do with one, cut it.
That's how the crew builds Monday numbers: calls answered, missed calls texted back, open estimates, what's past due and what came back, each marked with where it came from and the date it's good through. The assessment report puts these numbers on your shop, with the source and date next to each one.
Frequently asked questions
Which numbers should a small shop look at every week?
Start with the ones that point to action: calls you missed and didn't return, estimates still open, invoices past 30 days, and jobs won. Each one tells you who to call or what to send this week.
What about website traffic and social media likes?
Only if they turn into calls you can count. Kennedy is blunt about it: anything that can't reach the bank isn't a result. Watch the calls and the jobs, and let the rest go.
How do I know a number is right?
Know where it came from and what date it's good through. A past-due total from last month's QuickBooks export can send the office chasing someone who already paid.
Sources
- Dan S. Kennedy, Almost Alchemy (ForbesBooks, 2019). The question to ask before any information is presented (how will I act on it, for profit?) and the view that only sales count as results.