AI is no longer a buzzword—it’s now a serious growth engine for trade businesses.
In Episode 446 of The Site Shed, host Matt Jones reveals how tradespeople can 12X their business using AI-driven strategies and simple data insights. This episode isn’t about theory—it’s about practical, proven tactics that are generating up to 13,000% ROAS for real businesses.
Whether you’re a plumber, sparky, builder, or roofer—if you’re stuck relying on referrals or gut-feel decision making, this episode is your roadmap to growth.
Why AI Is a Game Changer for Tradies
AI is reshaping how businesses operate—especially in marketing and customer engagement. But what makes it powerful for trades?
🔧 Time-saving automations: AI bots can now manage leads, qualify them, and book site visits—without human involvement.
📈 Better decision making: AI helps you track and improve numbers like cost per lead and cost per acquisition.
🤖 Scalable personalization: Tools now allow for hyper-targeted emails, texts, and follow-ups that feel 1:1—even when automated.
5 Tradie Business Growth Levers Powered by AI
Matt outlines five key areas where AI can give your business a major edge in 2025:
1. Use AI to Track Your Numbers in Real Time
AI tools are now making it easier than ever to track and understand critical metrics like:
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Cost per lead (CPL)
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Cost per acquisition (CPA)
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Customer lifetime value (LTV)
Instead of manually pulling reports or guessing, AI-powered dashboards and CRMs can:
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Auto-calculate your CPL and CPA by tracking campaign performance
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Monitor customer behavior and calculate real LTV over time
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Alert you when numbers fall outside targets, so you can adjust fast
🛠 Example:
AI can show you that your cost to acquire a bathroom renovation client is $1,000—but because their lifetime value is $40,000, that’s a smart investment. AI makes that decision data-driven and instant.
2. Build a Predictable Lead Generation Engine
You can’t scale on referrals alone. AI allows you to automate lead handling, so you can:
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Generate leads from multiple channels
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Qualify them with AI bots (like TradieBot AI)
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Book appointments automatically
This creates a predictable pipeline so you know exactly what’s coming in—and what needs to go out.
3. Enhance Your Sales Process
Most tradies don’t have a defined sales process.
With AI tools, you can:
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Triage and prioritize leads
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Automate follow-ups
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Track conversion metrics
This means more time closing jobs and less time chasing.
4. Leverage Voice Search & AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
Voice search is exploding—and it’s changing SEO. People are speaking their queries instead of typing, which means:
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You need content that answers conversational questions
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Your website needs to be optimized for voice agents (like Siri, Alexa, and AI tools like ChatGPT)
This shift to AEO is bringing new life to organic search for tradies. Matt actually did an episode all on this topic.
5. Hyper-Personalize Your Marketing
Generic emails don’t cut it anymore.
Now you can:
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Send follow-ups referencing specific quotes or jobs
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Create email flows based on behavior or service history
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Segment by job type, location, or urgency
This boosts open rates, click-throughs, and conversions—without needing more staff.
Final Thought
“If you have the strategy and know your numbers, growth becomes an equation—nothing more.” – Matt Jones
AI is here—and it’s already helping forward-thinking tradies dominate their markets. The only question is: will you be one of them?
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