Why Most Brisbane Business Owners Are Wasting Money on Tech
I’ve sat in offices from Chermside to Logan, talking to business owners who are drowning in subscriptions. They’ve got one app for emails, another for their calendar, a third for their customer list, and a fourth just to make the other three talk to each other.
At the end of the month, they’re paying $500 or more in software fees, yet their phone isn't ringing any more than it was last year.
If you’re a tradie, a shop owner, or running a professional service, you don't need a "tech stack." You need a system that makes you money. Most of the advice you find online is written by people who want to sell you a subscription, not people who want to help you grow your profit.
Let’s get real: if a tool doesn't save you time or get you a new customer this week, it’s probably a waste of your hard-earned cash. You need to stop wasting money on things that don't actually move the needle for your business.
The Trap of "Affordable" Software
Marketing "automation" sounds fancy, but for a small business, it just means making sure no one falls through the cracks.
The biggest mistake I see is the "Frankenstein" approach. You sign up for a "free" email tool, a "cheap" booking system, and a "basic" CRM. Then you realise they don't talk to each other. To fix it, you hire a tech guy or spend your Sunday afternoon trying to link them together.
Suddenly, that "affordable" setup is costing you hours of billable time. In my experience, a system that costs $100 a month but works perfectly is much cheaper than a "free" system that loses you one $500 job because a lead didn't sync properly.
Mistake #1: Buying Tools You’ll Never Use
You’ve seen the ads. They promise a "complete marketing suite" with 50 different features. You think, "Great, I’ll use that to do webinars, and maybe start a membership site, and track my Twitter analytics."
Be honest: You aren't going to do any of that. You’re busy running a business.
When we work with local businesses, we tell them to ignore the bells and whistles. You only need three things to work: 1. A way to capture the lead: When someone visits your site, how do they contact you? 2. A way to follow up immediately: If you don't reply within 5 minutes, they’ve already called the next guy on Google. 3. A way to track the sale: Did that person actually pay you money?
If you buy a massive platform and only use 5% of it, you’re just subsidising their profit margins. It's better to stop buying tools that end up sitting on the shelf gathering digital dust.
Mistake #2: Forgetting the "Speed to Lead"
I was talking to a plumber in Morningside recently. He was frustrated because he was spending money on Google ads, but people weren't booking. I checked his system. When someone filled out his contact form, it sent him an email. He’d check that email at 6:00 PM when he finished on-site.
By then, that customer had already called three other plumbers, found someone who answered the phone, and booked the job.
Marketing automation isn't about sending pretty newsletters. It’s about an automatic text message going to that customer the second they hit "submit" on your website. Something as simple as: "Hi, it’s Dave from Dave’s Plumbing. I’ve got your message and I’ll call you in 10 minutes to grab the details."
That simple text stops them from calling your competitor. That is automation that makes you money.
Mistake #3: No Central Source of Truth
Where is your customer list? Is it in your Gmail contacts? On a spreadsheet? In a notebook on the dashboard of the ute?
If your leads are scattered, you are losing money. Period. You need one place where every phone call, every website enquiry, and every Facebook message lands. If you can't see your best way to track sales in one glance, you’re flying blind.
You don't need a degree in data science to do this. You just need a simple system that records the name, the number, and what they want. When you have this, you can see exactly which marketing is working and which is a waste of time.
What a Smart, Affordable Setup Actually Looks Like
If I were setting up a business today in Brisbane, here is exactly how I would spend my money to get the best result for the lowest cost:
1. The All-in-One Engine ($100 - $300 / month)
Instead of five different apps, get one that handles your CRM, your SMS marketing, and your email. It should also have a mobile app so you can see new leads while you're grabbing a coffee at the local bakery. This replaces your email marketing tool, your booking software, and your form builder.2. The "Work On Phones" Website
Your website doesn't need to be a masterpiece. It needs to load fast and work on a cracked iPhone screen. It needs a big button at the top that says "Call Now" or "Get a Quote." If people can't find your phone number in two seconds, they're gone.3. Automated Reviews
This is the biggest missed opportunity for local businesses. Every time you finish a job, your system should automatically text the customer a link to your Google Business Profile asking for a review. More reviews mean Google likes you more, which means you show up higher in search results, which means more phone calls. It’s a cycle that costs you $0 once it's set up.How Long Until You See Results?
This isn't a "get rich quick" thing, but it’s close.
Day 1: You stop losing leads because you're responding instantly via SMS. Month 1: You start seeing more Google reviews coming in automatically.
- Month 3: You have a clean list of past customers you can text or email with a special offer during a slow week to drum up instant business.
The "Is This Worth It?" Test
Before you sign up for any new piece of marketing tech, ask yourself these three questions: 1. Will this directly result in a phone call or an enquiry? 2. Does this replace a task I’m currently doing manually (like chasing invoices or sending follow-up texts)? 3. Can I set this up in an afternoon, or am I going to be watching YouTube tutorials for a week?
If the answer to any of these is "no," put your credit card away.
Stop Overcomplicating It
Marketing agencies love to make this sound complicated so they can charge you a "management fee." It’s rubbish. Most small businesses in Brisbane—whether you’re a lawyer in the CBD or a landscaper in Samford—need the same thing: a simple way to get noticed, a fast way to respond, and an easy way to get paid.
Don't build a digital maze for your customers to walk through. Make it easy for them to give you money.
If you're tired of paying for software that doesn't work or you're sick of manually chasing every single lead, we can help you cut through the noise. We focus on tools that actually get the phone ringing and keep your calendar full.
Ready to stop the tech headaches and start getting results? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s build a system that actually grows your business.