Although a recommendation from a family member or friend remains the primary way many people find a contractor, internet searches are rapidly gaining ground. Even with a referral from a trusted source, many people however still research contractors online before signing on the bottom line. And these investigations are no longer limited to looking at your company's website.

This trend does not signal the end of the personal recommendation. It is simply the natural maturing of the practice in the digital age.

Obviously the greatest benefit of receiving referred business is your existing customer has first-hand knowledge of your work, expertise and professionalism, and can endorse or "vouch" for you. This often eliminates sales objections and the dreaded, "I always get three quotes" stall tactic. Of course recommendations also limit a person's options to only those contractors used by people they know personally, until now.

Compliments of what is called Web 2.0, consumers have more verifiable options than ever before. And contractors that want their businesses to grow while operating under this digital microscope need to adjust and learn to exploit these changes in the way consumers are using the internet.

Why?
In the past the internet was not much more than a catalogue of one dimensional, static websites that resembled digital billboards. Most sites only provided basic company information, topical product and service overviews and obviously promotional messages, not unlike traditional advertisements.