Why Your Phone is Your Most Important Sales Tool
I was sitting at a cafe in Bulimba the other day, watching a bloke in high-vis trying to book a plumber on his phone. He was frustrated. He was pinching the screen, zooming in and out, trying to hit a tiny button that wouldn't click, and eventually, he just gave up and went to the next business on Google.
That business owner just lost a $400 job because their website was a pain in the neck to use on a phone.
If you run a business in Brisbane—whether you’re a sparky in Chermside or a lawyer in the CBD—most of your future customers are looking for you on their phones while they’re on the go. If your website doesn't make it dead easy for them to contact you, you are literally throwing money away.
In this guide, I’m going to show you how to stop the leaks. We aren't going to talk about fancy tech-speak. We’re going to talk about how to make sure that when someone finds you on their mobile, they actually pick up the phone and call you.
The Reality Check: People Are Impatient
Think about how you use your phone. You’re usually doing two things at once. You’re waiting for a coffee, sitting on the train, or standing in the aisle at Bunnings. You don’t have time to read a novel. You want an answer, and you want it now.
Most business websites in Australia are built on big office computers. They look great on a 27-inch monitor. But when you squeeze that onto a phone screen, everything breaks. The text gets too small, the buttons are too close together, and the most important information—your phone number—is hidden in a tiny menu.
If you want to grow your business, you need to stop thinking about your "website" and start thinking about your "mobile sales machine."
Step 1: The "Fat Thumb" Test
This is the simplest test you can do. Open your website on your phone. Now, try to click your phone number or your contact button using only your thumb while holding the phone with one hand.
Can you do it easily? Or did you accidentally click the "About Us" page instead?
In the marketing world, people call this "user experience," but let’s just call it the Fat Thumb Test. If a tradie with dirty hands or a busy mum carrying a toddler can't click your buttons, they’ll leave.
How to fix it:
Make buttons huge: Your "Call Now" or "Get a Quote" buttons should be the full width of the screen. Space things out: Don't put links right on top of each other. Sticky headers: Your phone number should stay at the top of the screen even when people scroll down.Step 2: Stop Hiding the Essentials
I see this all the time with professional services in Brisbane. They spend thousands on a website that looks like a glossy brochure, but they hide their location and their prices.
If I’m looking for a mechanic, I want to know three things: 1. Do you fix my type of car? 2. Where are you located? 3. Roughly what is it going to cost me?
If you make me hunt for that info, I’m gone. Being transparent is one of the fastest ways to win customers faster because it builds trust instantly. On a mobile screen, you have about three seconds to prove you have what they need.
Step 3: Speed is Money
Have you ever clicked a link and waited... and waited... for the page to load? What did you do? You hit the back button.
Google actually penalises slow websites, but more importantly, your customers penalise you by leaving. A slow website is usually caused by huge photos that haven't been resized for phones.
I worked with a landscaper in Morningside who had beautiful, high-resolution photos of his projects. The problem was, each photo was 5MB. On a mobile 4G connection, his site took 12 seconds to load. We shrunk those images down so the site loaded in under 2 seconds, and his enquiries doubled overnight. He didn't need more traffic; he just needed his site to actually open.
Step 4: Write for People Who Skim
Nobody reads on a phone. They skim. They look for headings, bullet points, and bold text.
If your mobile site is just a wall of text, it’s a graveyard for sales. You need to break it up. Tell them what you do, why you’re the best choice in Brisbane, and how they can hire you. Use simple language.
Instead of "We provide comprehensive electrical solutions for residential properties," try "We fix your home's power issues fast."
When you give visitors exactly what they want without making them dig through paragraphs of fluff, they are much more likely to stick around and book a job.
Step 5: Use Social Proof Where It Matters
When someone is on their phone, they are looking for a reason to trust you quickly. They don't want to read a 500-word case study. They want to see that other people in their suburb have used you and liked you.
Put a couple of your best Google reviews right near the top of your mobile page. If someone sees "Best plumber in Carindale - arrived on time!" they are halfway to calling you. Knowing how to use customer reviews effectively on a small screen is a game-changer for conversion.
The Cost of Getting This Wrong
Let's talk numbers. If 1,000 people visit your site a month and 70% are on mobile (which is average for Brisbane small businesses), that’s 700 people.
The Bad Site: If your site is hard to use, maybe only 1% (7 people) call you. The Good Site: If your site is built for phones, you might get 5% (35 people) to call you.That’s 28 extra leads every single month without spending an extra cent on advertising. If your average job is worth $500, that’s $14,000 a month in extra revenue you're currently leaving on the table.
How Long Does It Take to See Results?
If you fix these things today, you will see results tomorrow. This isn't like SEO where you have to wait months for Google to notice you. This is about making it easier for the people who are
already* finding you to give you money.What Should You Do First?
1. Check your speed: Open your site on your phone on 4G (not Wi-Fi). If it takes more than 3 seconds to show something, call your web guy. 2. Fix your buttons: Make sure your phone number is a "click-to-call" link. If I have to copy and paste your number, you've already lost me. 3. Shorten your forms: If you have a contact form, don't ask for their life story. Name, Phone, and Suburb is usually enough.
Is it Worth Paying Someone Else to Do This?
Look, I’ll be honest. You can try to DIY this on Wix or Squarespace, but most small business owners end up making a mess of it because those tools are designed to look pretty, not necessarily to sell.
If you’re serious about growing, it’s worth investing a few thousand dollars to have a professional set your site up correctly. It’s the difference between a shopfront with a locked door and one with a "Welcome" sign and a friendly salesperson standing at the entrance.
Most "web designers" will try to sell you on how pretty the site looks. At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about awards. We care about your phone ringing. We’ve seen these simple mobile tweaks transform businesses across Queensland, from one-man bands to companies with fleets of trucks.
Don't let another customer bounce off your site because it was too hard to use. Get your mobile site sorted and start picking up the phone.
Ready to turn your website into a lead-generating machine? Contact us at Local Marketing Group and let's get your phone ringing.