The Smart Shopper's Guide to Buying With Confidence
Finding a local business has never been easier.
Finding one you trust is another matter.
Search for a plumber, contractor, restaurant, mechanic or almost any other local business and you'll probably have dozens—or hundreds—of choices within seconds.
Advertisements compete for your attention.
Businesses compete for the top search positions.
Reviews tell you what strangers experienced.
Artificial intelligence can summarize all of it for you.
But after all that information, you may still be left wondering:
“Who should I actually choose?”
At ClickFirst, we think one of the best places to start is much closer to home.
Ask someone you trust.
Start With a Recommendation
Think about how you make important local purchasing decisions in everyday life.
You need a plumber.
You ask your neighbor.
You're looking for a good restaurant.
You ask a friend.
You need a mechanic.
You ask someone at work.
You need a contractor.
You ask the person down the street who just remodeled their house.
Why?
Because someone who has actually used a business can tell you something an advertisement cannot:
What was the experience really like?
A personal recommendation doesn't guarantee that you'll have exactly the same experience.
But it gives you a valuable starting point based on the experience of someone whose judgment you know and trust.
Why Personal Recommendations Matter
There's an important difference between discovering a business and having someone personally recommend one.
An advertisement tells you what a business wants you to know about itself.
A search engine helps you discover businesses that match your search.
An online review tells you about the experience of someone you probably don't know.
All can be useful.
But when your neighbor says:
“We used this company last year. They showed up when promised, did excellent work and we'd definitely use them again.”
you've learned something different.
There's a real person behind the recommendation.
A real experience.
And a relationship that gives the recommendation context.
That's why word-of-mouth has remained such a powerful part of local commerce even as technology has transformed almost everything else.
How ClickFirst Fits In
The problem with traditional word-of-mouth isn't that it doesn't work.
It's that we lose it.
Someone recommends a great plumber today.
Six months later, your sink starts leaking.
What was that plumber's name?
Was it your neighbor who recommended them?
Your brother?
Someone at work?
We've all been there.
ClickFirst is designed to give those recommendations a home online.
Members can save businesses they trust, share their recommendations and connect with friends, family, neighbors and other people they know.
Instead of another giant collection of anonymous opinions, we're working toward something much more personal:
A network of trusted local recommendations connected to real relationships.
People You Know. Businesses You Trust.
The ClickFirst Consumer Rule
A recommendation is a great place to start.
It shouldn't necessarily be where your research ends.
That's why we encourage consumers to develop four simple habits before making important purchasing decisions:
ASK. CHECK. VERIFY. DECIDE.
1. ASK.
Start with people you trust.
Ask friends, family, neighbors and other people you know whether they have experience with the type of business you need.
Use ClickFirst to save and discover recommendations within your network.
A trusted recommendation can quickly turn hundreds of possible choices into a much more manageable starting point.
2. CHECK.
Do your homework.
Once you've identified a business you're considering, learn more about it.
Visit its website.
Look at its online presence.
Read reviews.
Compare pricing when appropriate.
Look at photographs of its work.
Understand the services it provides.
Consider more than one option for significant purchases.
Personal recommendations and online research aren't competitors.
Used together, they're more useful.
3. VERIFY.
Confirm what matters.
The larger the purchase—or the greater the potential risk—the more important verification becomes.
Depending on the business or service, that might mean verifying:
-
Licenses
-
Professional credentials
-
Insurance
-
Business contact information
-
Physical address or service area
-
Written estimates
-
Contract terms
-
Warranties
Use independent and official sources when appropriate.
A recommendation gives you a reason to investigate a business.
Verification gives you another reason to feel comfortable choosing it.
4. DECIDE.
Make the choice that's right for you.
Now put everything together.
Who recommended the business?
What did your research show?
Did you verify the things that matter?
How does the price compare?
Does the business communicate professionally?
Do you understand what you're purchasing?
Are you comfortable moving forward?
Then make your decision.
Not because an advertisement told you to.
Not because an algorithm put one company at the top of a page.
But because you've done enough homework to make an informed choice.
Smart Shopping Isn't About Finding the Cheapest Price
Price matters.
But saving money isn't simply about paying the least.
A cheap contractor who has to redo the work isn't inexpensive.
A bargain product that has to be replaced twice isn't a bargain.
And losing money to a fraudulent business certainly isn't saving money.
Smart consumers look for value.
That means considering price alongside quality, reputation, reliability, experience and trust.
Sometimes the least expensive choice will be the best choice.
Sometimes it won't.
The goal is to make a decision you'll still feel good about after the transaction is complete.
Use Technology — But Don't Forget People
We believe technology is incredibly useful.
Use search engines.
Read reviews.
Compare businesses.
Verify licenses.
Research products.
Use artificial intelligence.
Take advantage of the enormous amount of information available to you.
But don't overlook one of the most useful resources you already have:
People you trust who have already been there.
That's where ClickFirst begins.
We're not trying to replace search engines, reviews or other sources of consumer information.
We're adding something that's remarkably difficult for technology to reproduce:
the relationship behind a recommendation.
Before Your Next Purchase
Remember four words:
ASK. CHECK. VERIFY. DECIDE.
ASK someone you trust.
CHECK the business and your options.
VERIFY the information that matters.
DECIDE with confidence.
And when you discover a great local business, don't let the recommendation disappear.
Save it. Share it. Help someone else find it.
That's how trusted businesses grow.
That's how stronger local communities are built.
And that's what ClickFirst is all about.
People You Know. Businesses You Trust.
Before You Purchase. Before You Hire. Before You Decide. CLICK FIRST.