Why your next 10 clients won’t come from Google—they’ll come from someone who knows you
When I worked in accounting, we didn’t advertise.
No billboards. No radio jingles. No Google AdWords.
And yet—clients kept showing up.
Why?
Because we did good work. And good work gets talked about.
Word of mouth > ads, every time
When someone needs a new accountant, plumber, designer, or consultant, they don’t Google “best small business advisor near me.”
They ask:
“Who do you use?”
“Are they good?”
“Would you recommend them?”
And if someone does Google you, you’d better believe the first thing they do next is ask around to check you out.
Referrals are your secret weapon
When we launched new service arms, we didn’t have to pitch cold.
We had an existing client base.
We knew who might benefit.
We simply referred across—warm intros with built-in trust.
It’s a free, powerful strategy most businesses forget.
- Past clients
- Suppliers
- Allied professionals
- Even competitors
All of these people can refer work—if you make it easy, and if you’ve earned their respect.
Advertising has its place—but it’s not a silver bullet
Yes, you can run ads. And in some industries, they’re brilliant.
But ads work best when they amplify a business that already has a reputation.
If you’re relying on ads to fix poor service, vague messaging, or weak conversion?
That’s like putting a spoiler on a Camry and calling it a race car.
Do good work. Build strong relationships. Make yourself referable.
Be the kind of business people feel good recommending.
That means:
- Clear communication
- Consistent delivery
- A smooth process
- A little bit of charm
Because if you do that?
The punishment for good work… is more work.
And that’s the kind of problem we all want.
The Pro(FIT)phet
All killer, no filler. Daily business wisdom.
Know someone dumping cash into ads without fixing their actual offer? Forward this to them—they might need a referral strategy instead.
More at tegus.com.au
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