I worked for a family and estate attorney towards the end of high school. He was young enough to be an older brother figure, but old enough that we were in two different generations. It was nice learning from him for the two years I worked at his law firm. He told me to be cautious with any lawyers who use TV commercials and highway billboards to advertise their services. His employers in years past got by without ever needing to invest law firm money into commercials or advertisements. Honestly he said that it was crazy when they were in such high demand and had to turn some potential clients away or give them referrals to other lawyers who also survive without ads on TV. It’s not just lawyers, there are other professionals and tradesmen who also get by on referrals and word of mouth alone. The best heating and cooling companies I have ever worked with from one state to the next have been companies that survived for decades through positive customer recommendations and referrals. My current HVAC supplier is a good example because I would have never discovered their business if it hadn’t been for the man behind the counter at the local hardware store in town. This was a tactic I learned from one of my former coworkers. He doesn’t trust online reviews exclusively, so he said that he will look for members of his community that deal with these sorts of companies regularly. And since so many hardware store customers are working with these HVAC companies, the employees of the store hear the gossip. Thankfully this tactic worked out for me and now I have a great HVAC supplier that gives me great service at an affordable price.