Turn New Enquiries into Sales While You Sleep

Stop Letting New Leads Go Cold

If you’re running a business in Brisbane—whether you’re a sparky in Coorparoo or running a boutique in Paddington—you know that the fastest person to reply usually gets the job.

But you’re busy. You’re on-site, you’re in meetings, or you’re finally trying to have dinner with your family. You can't always jump on a new enquiry the second it hits your inbox. This is where most local businesses lose money. A potential customer reaches out, hears nothing for six hours, and moves on to the next person on Google.

An automated welcome sequence is just a fancy way of saying "an immediate, professional reply that happens automatically." It’s a series of emails that go out the moment someone signs up for your newsletter or asks for a quote.

I’ve seen this transform businesses. We worked with a landscaping crew in Gumdale that was letting about 40% of their web leads wither away because they were too busy digging holes to check their email. By setting up a simple automated follow-up, they started booking 25% more quotes without spending an extra cent on ads.

In this post, we’re going to look at the three main ways you can set this up and which one actually puts the most money in your bank account.

Option 1: The "Quick Hello" (The Bare Minimum)

This is the most basic approach. Someone fills out a form on your site, and they get one email back saying, "Thanks, we’ll be in touch soon."

The Cost: Usually free or included in your basic email software. The Result: It stops the customer from wondering if your website is broken, but it doesn't sell anything. The Verdict: Better than nothing, but you’re leaving money on the table.

The Cost: Low to medium. Requires some setup time to write the sales pitches. The Result: You might get a quick burst of sales, but you’ll also see a lot of people hitting the "unsubscribe" button or marking you as spam. The Verdict: Risky. It can work for cheap products, but if you’re a professional service or a high-end local shop, it makes you look desperate.

Option 3: The "Value Builder" (The Gold Standard)

This is what we recommend to our Brisbane clients. Instead of just saying thanks or screaming "buy this," you send a series of 3 to 5 emails over a week that prove you know your stuff.

For a plumber, this might look like: 1. Immediate: "Thanks for reaching out. Here’s a guide on what to do if your pipes burst while you wait for us." 2. Day 2: "Here are three things most people in Brisbane forget to check before storm season." 3. Day 4: "Check out this bathroom renovation we just finished in Ascot—here’s how we saved the owner $2,000." 4. Day 6: "Ready to get started? Click here to book a time that suits you."

By the time you actually call them, they already trust you. You aren't a stranger; you're the expert who helped them out. This is how you turn new website leads into paying customers automatically without having to do the heavy lifting yourself every single time.

Comparing the Numbers: What’s the ROI?

Let’s look at the data. Most small business owners tell me they don't have time for this, but when you look at the numbers, you can't afford not to do it.

What Most Businesses Get Wrong

I see two big mistakes that waste a lot of money.

First, they pick the wrong tools. They sign up for a "free" platform that ends up charging them a fortune as soon as their list grows, or they realize the emails are going straight to the junk folder. It's vital to look at email platform costs before you commit, because switching later is a massive headache.

Second, they make the emails too pretty. Business owners often think they need fancy graphics and professional photos. You don't. In fact, for local services, a plain-text email that looks like it came from your iPhone often gets a better response. It feels personal. It feels like a real person in Brisbane sent it, not a corporate marketing department in Sydney.

How to Start (Without Losing Your Mind)

Don't try to build a 10-email masterpiece today. You’ll never finish it.

1. Write your first email today. Make it helpful. If you’re a mechanic, tell them how to check their oil. If you’re an accountant, tell them the one tax mistake most people make. 2. Set up the trigger. Use your email software so that the moment a new lead comes in, that email goes out. 3. Add one more email next week. Slowly build your sequence until you have 3 or 4 solid messages.

If you find that people are adding items to a cart on your site but not finishing the job, you need a specific type of follow-up. You can get customers back to your checkout with a very simple two-email reminder that focuses on the problem they were trying to solve.

Is it Worth the Money?

You can spend thousands on Google Ads to get people to your site. But if you don't have an automated way to catch those people and stay in front of them, you are throwing your ad budget down the drain.

An automated sequence is like having a sales rep who works 24/7, never takes a sick day, doesn't ask for a commission, and never forgets to follow up. For a small business, it’s the most cost-effective way to grow.

Most of our clients see the setup costs pay for themselves within the first 30 to 60 days just from the "lost" leads they finally started closing.

The Bottom Line

Stop overthinking the technology. Your customers want to hear from you, and they want to know you can solve their problems. If you aren't following up automatically, you are losing jobs to the competitor down the road who is.

If you’re too busy running your business to write emails and fiddle with software, that's what we’re here for. At Local Marketing Group, we build these systems for Brisbane businesses so they can focus on the work while the phone stays ringing.

Ready to stop losing leads? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s get your follow-up on autopilot.