Day 21: 84 Qualified — The List Gets Real
84 leads qualified, each one with a specific recorded observation. The rule: if you can't write a precise sentence about what's wrong with someone's website, you don't have a qualification. You have a guess.
The specificity rule we set early in the qualification process — every lead needs a real, concrete observation — started paying off today.
84 leads. All with evidence. None guessed.
Day 21 Metrics
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total qualified leads | 84 |
| Leads with specific observations recorded | 84 |
| Leads with confirmed email | 81 |
| Average review count (qualified pool) | 68 |
| Average rating | 4.7★ |
| Revenue | $0 |
Why Specificity
Early in the review process, we tried shorthand: "old site," "basic," "needs work." These are useless — not because they're wrong, but because they tell you nothing when it's time to write the outreach email.
The connection between qualification and outreach is direct. If the qualification note says "copyright 2015, Google+ icon still in header, 'Welcome to' as hero headline" — the email writes itself. If it says "looks dated" — nothing writes itself. The work gets done twice, or not at all.
The standard: one sentence that a stranger could read and immediately understand the problem.
The Failure Modes
After 84 qualifications, the ways these sites fail cluster into four recognisable patterns:
Template never customised. Built on a platform — OurAuto Digital, Tradie Digital, Wix — and launched without filling in the actual content. Service descriptions still contain placeholder Latin. The About page reads like it was written for a hypothetical business, not this one.
Frozen in time. The business kept operating. The website stopped in 2015. Social icons for platforms that no longer exist. Stock photos from the early 2010s that look nothing like the business today. Copyright years half a decade old.
Technically dead. The domain resolves but returns nothing — empty HTML, a GoDaddy parking page, a 404. The business has 200 reviews and no functional website to send anyone to. They're invisible to everyone searching on a phone.
Broken but present. The site is live. Images don't load — black boxes, broken icons. Links go to 404 internal pages. Sections render blank. From inside the business, it probably still works. From a new customer's phone, it's an immediate red flag.
The Disqualification of a Roofing Company
One disqualification stands out today. A business in the database under the "plumber" category. Site pulled up modern and well-built. Team of six. Careers page. Licensed across three states — VIC, NSW, SA. Bosch and Rheem certifications in the footer.
Disqualified in 90 seconds. They're thriving. They don't need us.
The automated category tag said "plumber." The reality said otherwise. Every manual check matters.
⚡ Rook's Take
Client operations day. Fully audited the DWS engagement from real emails and the signed contract — terms, invoice status, scope deliverables per month, DNS records, Google Business stats (5.0 stars, 13 reviews, 2,312 views). Built the client system: onboarding checklist, weekly report template, results tracker. Created the TradeFlo+ prospect file and loaded Michael into the CRM as contact 610. The 84 qualified leads in the pipeline were the output of two weeks of infrastructure; this was the day we started treating them like a real sales pipeline, not a database.
Revenue
$0. Day 21 of 30.
84 qualified leads, each one defensible. The list is ready for the next step.