By: Dr. Connor Robertson

In the early days of owning a business, many of the income streams are driven by hustle: phone calls, estimates, meetings, and manual follow-ups. However, as businesses mature, growth often depends not just on working harder, but on working smarter through automation. Dr. Connor Robertson, across the various businesses he owns or advises, focuses on automation as a tool to help scale the operations without overburdening the team or increasing overhead.

Revenue automation doesn’t mean eliminating human interaction. Rather, it’s about systematizing the areas of the business that don’t necessarily require creativity or emotion, ensuring that sales, scheduling, and follow-up can happen consistently—even when the owner isn’t directly involved. Whether he’s acquiring a local HVAC company, a medical clinic, or a home services firm, Dr. Connor Robertson uses automation to help establish predictable, recurring cash flow that doesn’t rely on continuous hustle.

Why Revenue Automation Can Offer a Competitive Edge

Many small businesses unknowingly drain time and money by:

• Manually following up with every lead.
• Forgetting to rebook past customers.
• Relying on the owner to close every deal.
• Missing repeat or upsell opportunities.
• Overlooking income lost through no-show appointments.

Dr. Robertson identifies these as opportunities for what he refers to as revenue machine systems—mechanisms that efficiently guide customers from initial interest to invoicing with minimal friction.

The benefits of automation can include:

• Faster response times.
• Improved conversion rates.
• Enhanced customer experiences.
• More consistent cash flow.
• Reduced dependency on any single team member.

Above all, automation provides the business owner with the ability to grow without overwhelming themselves or their team.

Dr. Connor Robertson’s 4-Part Revenue Automation Framework

Every business is unique, but the framework Dr. Robertson uses is consistent across all of his ventures. His process consists of four key steps for automating income in service-based or local businesses:

1. Lead Capture Automation

The journey starts with lead capture: how potential customers initially enter the system. Dr. Robertson ensures that every lead generation point is connected to a centralized CRM system.

• Website contact forms automatically create new leads in the CRM.
• Facebook and Google ads feed directly into lead pipelines.
• Missed phone calls trigger automatic follow-up text messages with a friendly “Sorry we missed you” note.
• Chatbots or embedded forms route inquiries based on service or urgency.

The objective is to ensure that no lead falls through the cracks. Whether a customer texts, calls, emails, or fills out a form, each interaction is automatically logged, tagged, and queued for follow-up.

2. Follow-Up and Nurture Sequences

Once leads are captured, the next step involves ensuring that communication remains consistent and timely. Dr. Robertson builds automated follow-up sequences that include:

• Text messages sent within 1–5 minutes of inquiry.
• Email drip campaigns spaced over 7–14 days.
• Booking links embedded in all messages.
• Conditional logic that triggers further actions based on the lead’s responses (e.g., “Reply YES to confirm”).

This approach helps take pressure off the staff and ensures that every customer gets a prompt and professional response, even if they inquire outside of regular business hours. Additionally, customers who may not be ready to purchase immediately are nurtured and warmed up for future interactions.

3. Scheduling and Service Automation

The next stage focuses on fulfillment—booking, confirming, and executing jobs efficiently:

• Online scheduling tools allow customers to book their own appointments.
• Automated confirmations help reduce no-shows.
• Reminder texts and emails are sent 24–48 hours in advance.
• Technicians or service providers receive automated job details.

In many cases, appointments are pre-scheduled and prepped before a team member even touches the calendar. This allows operations to run more efficiently.

Dr. Robertson also includes internal automations:

• Job completion triggers review requests.
• Completed jobs feed into “past customer” sequences for re-engagement.
• Tasks are auto-assigned based on service type or geographic location.

By simplifying these processes, teams are empowered to focus on the service, rather than the paperwork.

4. Recurring Revenue Loops

Finally, Dr. Robertson establishes systems for generating recurring income:

• Monthly service plans or memberships.
• Pre-booked annual maintenance contracts.
• Auto-renewing subscriptions with card-on-file billing.
• Scheduled re-engagement campaigns (“It’s time for your annual checkup!”).

He often creates “set it and forget it” billing models that offer customers discounts in exchange for long-term consistency. This model helps provide a more predictable income stream, benefiting both customers and the business.

Real Examples from Dr. Connor Robertson’s Portfolio

Here are some anonymized examples that illustrate the results of implementing automation:

• A medspa implemented lead capture and SMS nurture systems, reducing response time from 2 days to 2 minutes. Bookings saw an increase of 42%.
• A plumbing company set up a monthly service plan billed automatically. Within 6 months, more than 300 customers had signed up at $29/month, adding nearly $9,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR).
• A dental practice established an annual reminder system for hygiene visits. Rebooking improved by 63%, and hygienists’ schedules were fully booked 2 months in advance.

These systems weren’t overly complex but were consistently applied with an intentional approach.

Tools Dr. Connor Robertson Recommends

The tools Dr. Robertson uses are selected based on the size and complexity of the business:

• Go High Level – an all-in-one CRM, SMS, email, and pipeline tracking tool.
• Acuity or Calendly – for online scheduling and calendar automation.
• Stripe or Square 1– for recurring billing and card-on-file payments.
• ClickUp or Trello – for task automation and team assignments.
• Zapier or Make – for connecting apps without requiring custom code.

However, the tools are secondary to the primary goal: building a system that aligns with the customer journey and facilitates the smooth flow of operations.

Common Automation Pitfalls Dr. Connor Robertson Avoids

Dr. Robertson warns business owners about the following automation pitfalls:

• Over-automating to the point where communications feel robotic.
• Forgetting to account for exceptions and edge cases that still require human handling.
• Letting automations run unchecked, without regularly testing them.
• Sending generic or irrelevant messages that alienate customers.
• Building systems that staff don’t fully understand or aren’t equipped to use effectively.

The key to success in automation is to make it feel personalized, reliable, and aligned with the brand’s voice and values.

Final Thought: Build a Business That Pays You Back Automatically

Dr. Robertson believes that the true mark of a scalable business isn’t necessarily how quickly it grows, but how little it relies on the owner to sustain that growth. With automation, you move away from chasing each sale manually and instead capture every opportunity consistently. As a result, businesses retain more customers, close sales faster, and generate income that doesn’t require additional hours of labor. In the world of business ownership, automation isn’t just a tool—it’s foundational for long-term success.

To learn more about how Dr. Connor Robertson builds automated revenue systems that allow businesses to grow with or without the owner’s direct involvement, visit www.drconnorrobertson.com.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is for informational purposes only and reflects the personal views of the author. It is not intended as professional advice. Individual results may vary depending on specific circumstances, market conditions, and business strategies. Always consult with a qualified professional before making business decisions.