About this sample. Northshore Comfort Heating & Cooling is fictional, and so are the people, figures and targets below. The plan shows the format I use; it doesn't describe a client or any result achieved. In a real engagement every baseline would come from your own data.
- Plan period: Monday, October 5, 2026 to Friday, January 1, 2027
- Engagement shown: Working Partner retainer (up to 18 hours a month)
- Plan owner: Rob, owner. Updated monthly with the consultant.
Where we're starting
In June to August, Northshore took 1,146 calls and missed 31% of them. It booked an average of 38 install estimates a month. Nobody can currently say which marketing produced those estimates, because nothing past the page view is tracked. There are 410 active maintenance-plan members, all signed up in person by technicians. Google Ads management and spend run at about $7,200 a month combined.
The goal
Book 55 install estimates a month by December 2026 (from about 38), with a known source recorded for at least 90% of new enquiries.
This is about catching the demand that already exists. The heating season brings the calls; the plan makes sure someone answers them.
Priorities, ranked
- Stop losing calls. After-hours coverage, a callback promise, and staggered lunches.
- See what the money buys. GA4 key events, a source column in the booking sheet, and cleaning up wasted Google Ads spend.
- Put the maintenance plan online. A page with the price, what's included, and a sign-up form.
If week 8 gets crowded, priority 3 slides into January. Priorities 1 and 2 don't.
Not this quarter
- Website redesign
- A TikTok or Instagram push
- New service-area pages
- Switching agencies (decide at day 90, once tracking shows what they deliver)
- Hiring a marketing coordinator
Measures
| Measure | Baseline (Jun–Aug) | Target by Dec 31 | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unanswered calls | 31% | Under 10% | Call-tracking export | Every 2 weeks |
| Booked install estimates per month | 38 | 55 | Booking sheet | Every 2 weeks |
| New enquiries with a recorded source | Not recorded | 90% or more | Booking sheet, source column | Every 2 weeks |
| Maintenance-plan members | 410 | 480 | Billing system | Monthly |
| Google Ads cost per booked estimate | Unknown | Measured by Nov 13; target set at day 45 | Google Ads + booking sheet | Monthly |
Week by week
Owners: Rob (owner), Dana (office manager), Kyle (customer service and dispatch), Priya (comfort advisor, sells installs), Agency (Google Ads and website), Consultant (me).
| Week | Dates | Action | Owner | Due | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 5–9 | Clear voicemail daily; record a new greeting with a callback time | Dana | Oct 6 | Greeting live; box under half full each morning |
| 1 | Oct 5–9 | Create GA4 key events: form submit, tap-to-call, booking confirmed | Agency, checked by Consultant | Oct 9 | Test events show in GA4 |
| 2 | Oct 13–16 | Add a required "How did you hear about us?" column to the booking sheet (Oct 12 is Thanksgiving) | Kyle | Oct 14 | Every new booking has a source |
| 2 | Oct 13–16 | Get three quotes for after-hours answering, plus the cost of an on-call rotation | Dana | Oct 16 | Comparison sent to Rob |
| 3 | Oct 19–23 | Choose after-hours option; cap approved at $400 a month | Rob | Oct 20 | Signed or scheduled |
| 3 | Oct 19–23 | Negative keyword list; split install and repair campaigns | Agency, reviewed by Consultant | Oct 23 | Changes live; search-terms report reviewed |
| 4 | Oct 26–30 | After-hours coverage live; 30-minute callback rule in business hours | Dana | Oct 30 | Test calls at 8 p.m. and Saturday answered |
| 4 | Oct 26–30 | First fortnightly check (30 min) | Rob, Consultant | Oct 29 | Measures table updated |
| 5 | Nov 2–6 | Stagger lunch breaks so the phones are never down to one person | Dana | Nov 2 | Rota posted |
| 5 | Nov 2–6 | Draft maintenance-plan page: price, inclusions, FAQ | Consultant, approved by Rob | Nov 6 | Rob signs off the copy |
| 6 | Nov 9–13 | Build the page and online sign-up form | Agency | Nov 13 | Test sign-up reaches Dana's inbox |
| 6 | Nov 9–13 | First read on Google Ads cost per booked estimate | Consultant | Nov 13 | Figure in the measures table |
| 7 | Nov 16–20 | Day-45 review (90 min): keep, swap or cut a priority | Rob, Consultant | Nov 19 | Decisions written into this plan |
| 7 | Nov 16–20 | Add Google Business Profile categories and 10 new photos; reply to open reviews | Dana | Nov 20 | Zero unanswered reviews |
| 8 | Nov 23–27 | Email past customers: pre-winter tune-up and the maintenance plan | Consultant writes, Dana sends | Nov 25 | Sent to the full list |
| 9 | Nov 30–Dec 4 | Automatic review-request text when a job is closed | Kyle | Dec 4 | Test job triggers the text |
| 9 | Nov 30–Dec 4 | Fortnightly check | Rob, Consultant | Dec 3 | Measures table updated |
| 10 | Dec 7–11 | Ten-minute maintenance-plan talk track for tune-up visits; brief the technicians | Priya | Dec 9 | Covered at the Wednesday team meeting |
| 11 | Dec 14–18 | Renewal email to lapsed plan members | Dana | Dec 16 | Sent |
| 11 | Dec 14–18 | Fortnightly check | Rob, Consultant | Dec 17 | Measures table updated |
| 12 | Dec 21–24 | Confirm holiday phone coverage, Dec 24 to Jan 1 | Dana | Dec 21 | Schedule shared with the answering service |
| 13 | Dec 28–Jan 1 | Pull day-90 numbers; draft the January to March plan | Consultant | Dec 31 | Draft sent to Rob |
| — | Jan 2027 | Day-90 review; decide on the agency with three months of tracked data | Rob, Consultant | Jan 7, 2027 | Q1 plan agreed |
Time and money
- Consultant time: about 16 hours a month, inside the 18-hour Working Partner cap. The hours log goes out with each monthly report.
- New spend: after-hours coverage, capped at $400 a month. Everything else uses existing tools and the existing agency retainer.
- Not included: ad spend, the agency's fees and software, which Northshore pays directly, as it would in a real engagement.
Review dates
Fortnightly checks on Oct 29, Nov 12, Dec 3 and Dec 17. Day-45 review on Nov 19. Day-90 review on Jan 7, 2027.
The targets above are planning targets for a fictional business, not forecasts or promises. Real results depend on the business, the market and the execution. See the audit excerpt this plan came from, and the messaging one-pager for the same company.
Illustrative sample. Northshore Comfort Heating & Cooling is a fictional business, not a client.