Vertical Intelligence Basics

The framework runs the same across verticals. The *playbooks* underneath it are vertical-specific. A Revenue Analyst needs to know which vertical they're working in and which playbook library applies.

The 7 verticals

Healthcare (dental, medical, physio, vet). Top leaks: no-shows, missed recall, after-hours new-patient calls. Fixes: 3-touch reminder, recall sequence, AI voice agent.

Restaurant (full-service, QSR, café). Top leaks: empty weeknights, lapsed regulars, no-show reservations. Fixes: weeknight win-back blasts, deposit-on-booking, reservation reminder + confirm.

Service business (HVAC, plumbing, landscaping, home services). Top leaks: cold quotes, lapsed maintenance customers, after-hours emergency calls. Fixes: structured quote follow-up, seasonal recall, AI voice agent.

Ecommerce. Top leaks: cart abandonment, no second purchase, email going to spam. Fixes: 3-touch cart recovery, second-purchase trigger, deliverability hardening.

SaaS. Top leaks: trials that don't activate, silent churners, unmet expansion. Fixes: hands-on onboarding flow, usage-based churn signal, expansion outreach to power users.

Professional services (legal, accounting, consulting, agency). Top leaks: cold proposals, dormant past clients, no referral system. Fixes: structured proposal cadence, quarterly past-client touch, post-engagement referral ask.

Local business (gym, salon, studio, boutique). Top leaks: lapsed members, low Google review volume, missed birthday/anniversary. Fixes: win-back sequence, review automation, lifecycle touchpoints.

How to detect the vertical

In most engagements you already know — the client tells you. When the diagnosis runs against an unknown business type, the AI classifier maps signals to one of the seven. Check the result and confirm with the client.

If a business spans verticals (e.g. a restaurant with retail), pick the dominant revenue path. Cross-vertical clients aren't worth twice the work — pick one and run it well.

Why this matters

Generic advice fails at the vertical level. "Send marketing email" is too vague — for a dental clinic that means recall, for a restaurant that means weeknight win-back, for a SaaS that means activation. The playbook gives you the *specific* sequence per vertical so you don't have to invent one.