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The Hot MessMarketing Index
Most established service businesses aren't struggling because they're bad at marketing. They're struggling because they're doing too much, inconsistently, without a clear strategy — and have no idea which parts are actually working.
This index will show you exactly where your marketing is leaking and what to fix first.
Six quick questions. Est. about 3 minutes.
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Question 1 of 6
When someone asks what you do, what actually happens?
A
I explain it differently every time depending on who's asking — I can tell halfway through that I've lost them, and I still haven't found the version that lands consistently.
B
I explain it fine in person, but there's no easy way for someone to stay connected or learn more unless they book a call on the spot.
C
I explain it well when I'm in the right headspace, but my website, socials, and in-person pitch all say something slightly different because nothing is configured to stay consistent.
D
I explain it differently depending on which platform I'm on — I've never sat down and decided on one clear version I use everywhere.
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Question 2 of 6
What does your lead generation actually look like right now?
A
Mostly referrals from people who already know me and can explain what I do better than my marketing does — cold leads almost never find me on their own.
B
People find me and express interest, then go quiet — and I have no reliable way to follow up or stay in front of them until they're actually ready to buy.
C
I have some leads coming in but no consistent system for tracking them, following up automatically, or knowing which effort actually brought them to me.
D
I'm showing up in multiple places but couldn't tell you which one is actually producing clients — so I keep doing all of them.
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Question 3 of 6
What happens after someone expresses interest but doesn't book immediately?
A
I follow up once or twice but there's no real sequence — I'm not sure my messaging is strong enough to bring them back anyway.
B
They fall off, and I have no automated way to stay in front of them. If they don't circle back on their own, they're gone.
C
I try to follow up but it's entirely manual — it happens when I remember, which means it's inconsistent and I'm definitely losing people in the gap.
D
I'm not sure, honestly — I don't have a clear process for what happens after initial contact, so I handle every lead differently.
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Question 4 of 6
What does your email marketing actually look like right now?
A
I email my list when I have something to say, but I've never set up an automated welcome sequence — and I'm not sure my emails are saying the right thing to the right person anyway.
B
I send emails occasionally but everything is manual — there's no sequence running in the background nurturing people when I'm not actively writing.
C
I've tried to set up automations but something is always broken, not fully configured, or half-built and abandoned — the backend is a mess I haven't gone back to fix.
D
I have an email platform but I'm also trying to show up on three social platforms and none of it is connected — it's all separate efforts going in different directions.
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Question 5 of 6
If you handed your marketing to someone else tomorrow, what would happen?
A
They'd struggle to explain what I do clearly — the positioning is in my head and I've never fully translated it into copy they could work from.
B
They'd have no idea how to follow up with leads — that process doesn't exist anywhere except in my instincts and good intentions.
C
They couldn't do it — nothing is documented, automated, or configured in a way another person could actually run without me explaining every step.
D
They'd be immediately confused about where to focus — we're spread across too many places with no clear priority or through-line.
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Question 6 of 6
What's the most accurate description of your marketing right now?
A
I have content and a presence, but nothing I'm putting out there is clearly telling the right person that I'm exactly what they need. People engage but don't convert.
B
I have genuinely interested people in my world but no reliable path that takes them from discovering me to actually becoming a client. The interest evaporates.
C
I'm doing everything manually and working way harder than the results justify — nothing is set up to run without me and the effort-to-output ratio is embarrassing.
D
I'm executing constantly but spreading the effort across too many places — nothing is building momentum because I keep starting over instead of committing to one thing long enough for it to compound.
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