Why Most AI Advice is a Waste of Your Time
If you’ve spent any time on the internet lately, you’ve probably been told that AI is going to change the world. For a small business owner in Brisbane—whether you’re running a landscaping crew in Carindale or a boutique law firm in the CBD—that doesn’t mean much. You don’t need AI to "disrupt the industry"; you need it to stop you from working until 9:00 PM every night on paperwork.
Most of what you hear about AI is fluff. You don’t need a chatbot that talks about philosophy. You need tools that help you get more phone calls, send quotes faster, and keep your current customers coming back.
I’ve looked at the data from dozens of local businesses we work with. The reality is simple: the businesses using AI and marketing automation are winning because they respond to customers in seconds, while their competitors take three days to reply to an email. In Brisbane’s competitive market, the first person to answer the phone or reply to the enquiry usually gets the job.
Here is how to actually use AI to make more money and reclaim your weekends.
1. Stop Losing Jobs Because You Didn’t Answer the Phone
The biggest killer of small businesses is the missed call. If a homeowner in Paddington has a burst pipe and you don’t answer, they aren’t leaving a voicemail. They are clicking the next name on Google.
We’ve seen businesses lose thousands of dollars in potential revenue every month just because they were on a job or driving when a new lead called. AI-powered voice assistants are now good enough to handle these calls for you. They don’t just take a message; they can book an appointment directly into your calendar or qualify the lead by asking what service they need.
The Quick Win: Set up an AI receptionist. It costs a fraction of a human staff member and never takes a lunch break. If you stop missing calls, your revenue will jump almost instantly because you’re capturing people who would have otherwise gone to your competitor.
Cost: $50 - $200 per month depending on volume. Time to results: Immediate. Outcome: More bookings from the same number of leads.
2. Generate Quotes and Emails in Seconds, Not Hours
How many hours a week do you spend staring at a blank screen trying to figure out what to say to a customer? Or worse, how many quotes are sitting in your "to-do" pile because you’re too tired to type them out?
AI tools like ChatGPT are perfect for this, but only if you use them correctly. Don’t ask it to "write a blog post." Ask it to "Write a professional quote follow-up for a kitchen renovation client who hasn’t responded in three days."
I recently worked with a cabinet maker in Morningside who was spending six hours every Sunday night writing emails and quotes. By using specific AI templates, he cut that down to 45 minutes. That’s five hours of his life back every single week. Using AI to get more leads isn't about being a tech genius; it's about using a tool to do the heavy lifting of writing so you can focus on the physical work that actually pays the bills.
The Quick Win: Create a list of your 5 most common customer emails. Use AI to write a perfect version of each. Save them as templates. Next time you need to send one, just swap out the name and the price.
Cost: Free to $30 per month. Time to results: 1 hour to set up. Outcome: Massive time savings and more professional communication.
3. Let AI Handle the "Tyre Kickers"
Every business owner has dealt with people who ask fifty questions but never buy anything. They take up your time and prevent you from talking to serious customers.
You can now use AI to "filter" your enquiries. When someone messages your Facebook page or fills out a form on your website, an AI can ask them the preliminary questions: "What is your budget?" "What suburb are you in?" "When are you looking to start?"
If their answers don't match your business (e.g., they are outside your service area or their budget is too low), the AI can politely let them know or provide a helpful resource. If they are a perfect fit, the AI notifies you immediately so you can jump on the phone and close the deal.
The Quick Win: Add a simple AI chat agent to your website that asks three qualifying questions before it lets someone book a call with you.
Cost: $30 - $100 per month. Time to results: 1-2 weeks to see the quality of your leads improve. Outcome: You only spend time talking to people who are ready to pay you.
4. Keeping Your Name in Front of Customers (Without the Effort)
It is much cheaper to sell to an old customer than to find a new one. But most small business owners are so busy finding new work that they forget to follow up with the people who already know and trust them.
AI can look at your customer list and automatically send a helpful, personalised email or text at the right time. For example, if you’re a pest controller, the system can automatically message a customer 11 months after their last treatment to remind them it’s time for a top-up.
This isn't "spammy" marketing; it's providing service. Most people want the reminder because they’re busy too. When you automate this, you create a "recurring revenue machine" that runs in the background while you’re out on the tools.
What’s a Waste of Money?
I’ll be blunt: most "AI Marketing Agencies" are trying to sell you expensive packages for things you don’t need.
Avoid: Paying thousands for "AI-generated social media content." Most of it looks fake, sounds robotic, and doesn't actually get people to call you. Avoid: Complex AI tools that require a degree to operate. If you can’t learn how to use it in 20 minutes, it’s going to end up as a monthly subscription you pay for but never use. Avoid: Replacing human connection. AI should handle the tasks, but you should still handle the relationships*. Use AI to get the lead to the phone; then you take over and show them why you’re the expert.
How to Start (The 3-Step Plan)
If you want to see results without getting overwhelmed, follow this order:
1. Fix the Leaks: Set up an AI missed-call text back or voice assistant. This is the fastest way to make more money because it captures the business you’re already losing. 2. Automate the Boring Stuff: Use AI to write your quotes, follow-up emails, and job descriptions. This wins back your time immediately. 3. Filter Your Leads: Put an AI assistant on your website to ask the basic questions so you stop wasting time on people who aren't a fit for your business.
Get Help From Brisbane Experts
At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about the latest tech trends for the sake of it. We care about whether a tool puts more money in your bank account at the end of the month. We’ve helped tradies, medical professionals, and local service businesses across Brisbane implement these exact steps to grow their sales while working fewer hours.
If you're tired of doing everything manually and want to see how automation can work for your specific business, we're here to help.
Ready to grow? Contact Local Marketing Group today.