Stop the Busy Work and Start Booking More Jobs
If you’re running a business in Brisbane—whether you’re an electrician in Coorparoo or a lawyer in the CBD—you’ve probably heard a lot of noise about Artificial Intelligence (AI) lately. Most of what you hear is fluff. You’ll hear people talking about "disrupting industries" or "neural networks," but that doesn't help you pay the bills on Friday.
At Local Marketing Group (LMG), we don’t care about the hype. We care about what works. For the last year, we’ve been using AI internally to strip away the boring admin stuff that slows us down. Why? So we can spend more time actually getting our clients more phone calls and more sales.
I’m going to pull back the curtain and show you exactly how we’re using these tools right now. Not to look fancy, but to save money and move faster. If you’ve been wondering how to get local customers without spending a fortune on staff, this is how it’s done.
The End of the "I'll Get Back to You" Era
One of the biggest killers of small business profit is the delay. A customer calls, you’re on a job site or in a meeting, you don't answer, and they call the next guy on Google. Or, you have a great meeting with a prospect, but it takes you three days to send the follow-up email because you’re buried in paperwork.
Inside LMG, we’ve killed the delay using AI note-takers.
We don't scribble on pads anymore. Every meeting we have is recorded and summarised by an AI assistant. Within five minutes of a call ending, the AI has written a summary of what was discussed, listed the action items, and drafted the follow-up email.
We’ve seen this work wonders for professional services and tradies alike. Imagine finishing a site visit and having the quote details already drafted before you’ve even put the ute in gear. When you stop taking notes and let technology handle the record-keeping, you close jobs faster because you’re the first one back in the customer’s inbox.
How We Use AI to Write Things That Actually Sell
Most business owners hate writing. Whether it’s an ad for Facebook, a blog post, or a newsletter, it usually ends up being a chore that gets pushed to next month.
We use AI to break the "blank page" problem. But here is the secret: we never let the AI have the final word. If you just ask an AI to "write a post about plumbing," it will produce generic, boring rubbish that your customers will ignore.
Instead, we use a "Brain Dump" method: 1. We record a 2-minute voice memo on a phone talking about a real problem a Brisbane customer had (e.g., "We just fixed a burst pipe in Ascot that flooded a kitchen because of a cheap plastic fitting"). 2. We feed that recording into the AI. 3. We tell the AI: "Turn this into a helpful tip for our Facebook page. Make it sound like a local expert, not a textbook."
In three minutes, we have a post that is based on real-world experience but polished for the public. This saves us hours of typing and ensures our clients look like the experts they are.
Predicting Who Will Buy Next
This is where the real money is made. Most businesses treat every lead the same, but they aren't. Some people are just "tyre kickers," while others are ready to hand over their credit card right now.
We use AI tools to look at the data coming through our clients' websites. It can spot patterns that a human would miss. For example, we might notice that people who visit the "Pricing" page twice and then watch a specific video on the site are 80% more likely to book a job within 24 hours.
By using AI to predict buying behaviour, we can tell our clients exactly who they should call first. No more chasing dead-end leads. We focus the energy on the people ready to buy. This isn't science fiction; it’s just smart math, and it’s available to small businesses in Brisbane right now.
What is a Waste of Money?
I’ll be blunt: most "AI Consultants" charging $5,000 for a "strategy" are selling you hot air. You don't need a 50-page strategy document. You need tools that work.
Don't waste money on: AI Chatbots that are too smart for their own good: If a customer wants to know your price and the bot starts talking about the philosophy of customer service, they’ll leave. Keep bots simple and focused on booking a call. Complex "All-in-One" AI platforms: They usually do five things poorly instead of one thing well. Stick to specific tools for specific problems. Replacing humans entirely: AI is a great assistant but a terrible boss. It can draft your emails, but it shouldn't be the only thing your customers interact with. People still buy from people.
My Predictions for Brisbane Businesses in 2024/25
I’ve seen this work for dozens of local businesses, and here is where I see things going:
1. Speed will be the only differentiator: As AI makes it easier for everyone to look professional, the business that responds fastest will win. If you aren't using automated lead responses, you’re going to lose to the guy who is. 2. Voice will be huge: We are already helping clients record their own voices so AI can handle phone enquiries or outbound calls in a way that sounds exactly like the business owner. It sounds crazy, but it’s a massive time-saver for busy tradies. 3. Local will matter more: As the internet gets flooded with generic AI content, people will crave local proof. Mentioning specific Brisbane landmarks, suburbs, and local weather in your marketing (assisted by AI) will make you stand out from the national franchises.
What Should You Do First?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don't try to do everything at once. Here is the 3-step plan I’d give to a mate:
Step 1: Get an AI note-taker for your meetings and sales calls. It’s the fastest way to win back 5 hours a week. Step 2: Use AI to draft your social media posts based on your real-life jobs. Stop trying to be a writer and just be the expert. Step 3: Automate your lead follow-up. If someone emails you at 9 PM on a Sunday, they should get a helpful response (and a booking link) immediately, not on Monday morning.
How Much Does This Cost?
You can get started with most of these tools for less than $100 a month. Compare that to the cost of hiring an admin assistant or, worse, the cost of losing a $5,000 job because you didn't call the lead back fast enough.
At Local Marketing Group, we don't just talk about this stuff—we live it. Every tool we recommend to our clients is something we’ve tested in our own office first. We know what breaks, what’s a headache, and what actually puts money in the bank.
If you're tired of being the bottleneck in your own business and want to see how these tools can actually grow your sales, let's have a chat. We’re based right here in Brisbane and we speak plain English, not tech-talk.
Ready to grow? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s see which of these tools will work for you.