Why Most Brisbane Business Owners are Flying Blind
I was sitting in a cafe in Bulimba last week with a bloke named Dave who runs a medium-sized landscaping business. Dave is a hard worker, his team does great work, and he’s been in the game for fifteen years. But he was frustrated.
"I’m spending three grand a month on Google and Facebook ads," he told me, "and the phone rings, but I have no bloody idea which ads are actually working. I feel like I'm just throwing money at a wall and hoping some of it sticks."
Dave’s problem is incredibly common. Most small business owners in Brisbane—whether you’re a sparky in Chermside or a lawyer in the CBD—operate on 'gut feel'. You know you need to market your business, so you pay for some ads, you post on social media, and you hope for the best.
But hope isn't a business strategy.
If you don't know exactly where your customers are coming from, you’re likely flushing half your budget down the toilet. In this guide, I’m going to show you how to stop guessing and start using the numbers you already have to get more phone calls, more bookings, and more profit.
The Tale of Two Tradies: A Real-World Example
To understand why your numbers matter, let’s look at two hypothetical plumbing businesses in the Western Suburbs: 'Quick Fix Plumbing' and 'Precision Pipes'.
Quick Fix Plumbing spends $2,000 a month on ads. They get about 40 phone calls a month from those ads. The owner, Steve, thinks he’s doing great because the phone is ringing.
Precision Pipes also spends $2,000 a month. They only get 20 phone calls. On the surface, you’d think Steve is winning, right?
But here’s what the numbers actually showed when we looked deeper:
Quick Fix was getting calls for small jobs—leaky taps and blocked toilets. Each job was worth maybe $200. Out of 40 calls, 20 booked. Total revenue: $4,000. After paying for the ads and the plumber's time, Steve barely broke even. Precision Pipes was targeting 'Hot Water System Repairs' and 'Bathroom Renovations'. Out of their 20 calls, only 8 booked. But each job was worth $2,500. Total revenue: $20,000.
Precision Pipes spent the same amount of money but made five times the revenue. Why? Because they looked at their numbers and realised that "more calls" doesn't always mean "more money." They adjusted their strategy based on what was actually hitting the bank account.
If you want to grow, you need to tell if your marketing is making you money rather than just looking at how many people clicked a button.
The Only Three Numbers That Actually Matter
You don't need a degree in statistics to run a successful business. In fact, most of the reports marketing agencies send you are filled with fluff designed to make them look busy. You don't need to care about 'impressions' or 'engagement rates'.
To grow your business, you only need to track three things:
1. What does it cost to get a lead?
A 'lead' is a person who actually reaches out—they call you, fill out your contact form, or send an email. If you spend $1,000 and get 10 enquiries, your cost per lead is $100. Is that good? It depends on what you’re selling. If you’re a real estate agent, $100 is a bargain. If you sell $20 coffee beans, you’re going broke.2. What does it cost to get a customer?
Not everyone who calls will hire you. If it takes 4 enquiries to get one paying customer, and each enquiry costs you $100, then your cost to get a customer is $400. This is the most important number in your business. Once you know this, you can decide how much to spend to get more customers without it feeling like a gamble.3. What is that customer worth to you?
If it costs you $400 to get a customer, but that customer spends $5,000 with you over the next year, you’d spend that $400 all day every day. But if they only spend $300, you need to change your marketing immediately.Case Study: The Morningside Mechanic Who Doubled His Profit
Let’s look at a real example from a client of ours, a mechanic in Morningside. When he first came to us, he was running ads for "General Car Service." He was busy, his workshop was full, but he wasn't making much profit.
We sat down and looked at his last three months of invoices. We found something interesting: the customers coming in for a "$150 basic service" almost never came back, and they complained about every extra dollar spent. However, the customers who came in for "European Car Specialist Repairs" spent an average of $1,200 and became regulars.
We stopped all the general ads. We put that money into specific ads for BMW, Audi, and Mercedes repairs.
The Result: His total number of bookings actually went down by 20%. He panicked for a week. But his total profit doubled. He was doing less work, for better customers, and making more money.
He only knew how to do this because we stopped guessing and looked at the numbers. He was finally able to see exactly which ads were making him money and cut the rest.
Stop Wasting Money on 'Brand Awareness'
If a marketing person tells you that you need to spend money on "brand awareness," run the other way.
Brand awareness is what Coca-Cola and Nike do. They have billions of dollars. You are a small business owner in Brisbane. You need your marketing to work now. You need the phone to ring today so you can pay your staff on Friday.
Every dollar you spend should have a clear goal: to get a customer.
I’ve seen businesses spend thousands on fancy videos for Facebook that get lots of 'likes' but zero phone calls. 'Likes' don't pay the rent. If you can't track a sale back to the money you spent, it’s not marketing—it’s a hobby.
How to Start Tracking Your Numbers (The Simple Way)
You don't need fancy software. You can start this today with a simple spreadsheet or even a notepad.
1. Ask every caller: "How did you hear about us?" This isn't perfect, but it’s a start. If they say "Google," ask if they searched for your name or for a service (like "plumber near me"). 2. Use different phone numbers. You can get cheap 'tracking numbers' that redirect to your main line. Put one number on your website and a different one on your Facebook page. At the end of the month, you’ll know exactly which one people called. 3. Track your 'Win Rate'. If 10 people call you from your website, how many do you actually book? If it’s only 1 or 2, your marketing might be working, but your sales process (or your pricing) might be the problem.
Common Mistakes Brisbane Businesses Make
After years of doing this for local businesses, I see the same three mistakes over and over again:
1. Thinking a 'pretty' website is enough
I’ve seen gorgeous websites that cost $10,000 but don't have a phone number at the top. Your website isn't an art project; it's a salesperson. If it doesn't make it incredibly easy for someone to contact you within five seconds of landing on the page, it’s failing. It needs to work on phones, load fast, and tell people exactly what to do next.2. Not knowing your 'Break-Even' point
Do you know exactly how much you can afford to pay for a new customer? If you sell a service for $1,000 and your costs (labour, materials, overheads) are $600, you have $400 left. If you spend $450 on ads to get that customer, you are literally paying $50 for the privilege of working for them. You’d be better off staying in bed.3. Turning off ads too soon
Marketing isn't a light switch. It’s more like a steam train—it takes a bit of coal and time to get it moving. I see owners run ads for four days, see no calls, and quit. You need at least 30 to 60 days of solid data before you can make a smart decision.What Should You Do First?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don't try to fix everything at once. Start here:
Step 1: Look at your bank statement. How much did you spend on marketing last month? Total it all up—Google, Facebook, flyers, the local footy club sponsorship. Step 2: Look at your new customers from last month. How many were there? Step 3: Divide the spend by the customers. If you spent $2,000 and got 10 customers, it cost you $200 per customer. Step 4: Ask yourself: "Am I happy to pay $200 for each of these customers?"
If the answer is no, you need to change who you are targeting or how you are talking to them.
The Reality of Marketing Costs in Brisbane
Let’s be honest about the money. In Brisbane, competition is getting tougher. Five years ago, you could get a lead for a few bucks. Today, for services like plumbing, electrical, or legal advice, you might be paying $50 to $150 just for a phone call.
This is why using your numbers is no longer optional. If your competitor knows they can afford to pay $100 for a lead because they convert 50% of them into $2,000 jobs, they will outbid you every time. They will take over the first page of Google, and you’ll be left wondering why the phone stopped ringing.
Why Most 'Data' is Rubbish
You’ll hear people talk about 'algorithms' and 'big data'. For a small business, that’s mostly rubbish. You don't need big data; you need useful data.
I worked with a boutique gym in Newstead that was obsessed with their Instagram followers. They had 5,000 followers and were posting three times a day. When we actually looked at the numbers, only 2% of their members came from Instagram. Most came from a simple sign they put out on the footpath and a referral program.
They were spending 10 hours a week on social media for almost zero return. We told them to stop. They used that time to follow up with old members instead, and their revenue jumped by 15% in a month.
Summary: How to Win
Winning in business isn't about having the flashiest ads or the most followers. It’s about knowing your numbers better than your competitors do.
1. Track everything. Know where every dollar goes and where every customer comes from. 2. Focus on profit, not revenue. A $10,000 job that costs you $9,500 to deliver is worse than a $2,000 job that costs you $500. 3. Be patient but ruthless. Give your marketing time to work, but if the numbers show it’s failing after two months, cut it and move on.
If you're sick of guessing and want to see how your numbers can actually grow your business, we can help. At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about 'likes' or 'impressions'. We care about your bottom line. We work with Brisbane businesses to turn their marketing into a predictable machine that generates profit, not just noise.
Stop throwing money at the wall. Let's look at your numbers and find out what's actually working.
Ready to get more from your marketing? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s have a straight-talk conversation about your business goals.