Field notes
Writing on the systems, automations, and software we build with UK small businesses — what worked, what didn't, what we'd do differently.
Google is not the only place customers search any more. AI assistants are answering questions, recommending services, and booking appointments. The businesses that show up there are not lucky. They are structured.
Cold outreach gets harder every quarter. The businesses growing fastest right now have something that attracts leads before a single sales call happens.
One voice note on your phone could be a blog post, three LinkedIn updates, an email, and the answer ChatGPT gives when someone asks about your industry. Most businesses record it once and bin it.
Most ad leads don't die because they were bad. They die because nobody called them back in time. An AI appointment funnel does the calling.
Cold email alone is a losing arithmetic. Three channels, coordinated, with every message written for one specific person. That arithmetic changes.
The agencies that get replaced sold services. The ones that get acquired sold infrastructure their clients couldn't rip out.