Chose cheap automation over a real agency - cost me 40k in 3 months

Had to pick between a $200/month Zapier setup or hiring a proper agency for lead follow-up. Went cheap, and within 3 months we missed 127 qualified leads from a trade show in Austin. Now I'm paying triple to fix the mess. Anyone else get burned by trying to replace agency work with DIY tools?

2 comments

2 Comments

brooke4752d ago

Yeah, honestly I used to defend cheap automation hard but this post totally shifted how I see it.

julia_jones722d ago

Wait, could the problem really be about the tool or was it more about how you set it up? I automated my whole lead follow-up with a simple $150/month setup and it caught 90% of our leads from CES last year. Maybe the issue was the tool wasn't built right for that specific event?