For this blog post I would like to start with one of the oldest techniques that our grandparents would use to find help around the house. This is a time before google, yelp, and the internet all together, the ol'reliable word-of-mouth recommendation.

The Pros

Think about it, companies spend thousands if not millions to make their name heard to local people who require their services. So if some one you know is willingly earning a company or a persons business through you by word of mouth, that means 0 lack of a positive experience was to be had at the time of exchange. Not only is it a good sign that they are willing to share this information with you for free, but they trust their work so dearly they are willing to be associated with said person.

BTW It should go without saying that the person you are receiving this information from should be a trusted friend, family, coworker, ect. With this being true the person who is sharing this information with you is doing so because not only do they want you to get the work done the right way and see you have the best outcome. But also because they want to be associated with the right opinion. That brand new deck that they visit when you invite them barbecues, they would love to be accredit with that when you break out the brews by the fire place at night. So, unless you had an inkling that the person who you are receiving this information from was trying to sabotage you its usually a safe bet to go in this direction.

And the last thing to note on this front is whoever gave you the recommendation actually got to see the work done. They witnessed first hand how the person or group treats their customers, the quality they provide and often how they respond to customer service. Sometimes with things like online reviews it can get a bit choppy when it comes to the actual work being done. Not that that online reviews are a bad metric at all (and more on those in another post) but its just something to keep in mind

The Cons

In terms of the flaws about going about this method usually pertain to just being unlucky. For instance, lets take "Joe Schmoes GC" and lets say that your neighbor Nancy hires him to put up some shelves. This is a pretty easy job, he knocks in the brackets puts up the shelves level with the ground and is polite to Nancy who is an absolute sweetheart that not even Satan will try to trouble. After mentioning you have to get your deck redone Nancy says you gotta go to Joe. Unfortunate a deck is a much bigger project and the minuet you give Joe your down payment you don't hear from him for days. every now and then he will drop off some material here and there but the project drags on for weeks its an absolute shit show. This is a specific scenario but many alike can be some what common depending on the recommendation. The general rule of thumb is that the longer they have used said service tech, the more reliable the recommendation is, it doesn't hurt to ask!

The cons of this method are far and slim but the final thing I would suggest to look out for would be too make sure that your not being used as a recommendation bonus. Sometimes contractors will give out money or gift-cards in exchange for recommendations from previous customers, other contractors, ect. While this is not always a bad thing if you discover this is the case you want to keep a closer eye on whoever your hiring just in-case. This one is a little tougher to snuff out, but what I have found works best is to ask why specifically what they have done for them? Again doesn't have the highest success rate but sometimes you might find a gap in the story and that might be enough to do some extra digging.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, word of mouth will always be one of the strongest ways to find someone trustworthy. It carries weight because it comes from real people who have already lived through the experience you are about to step into. While it’s not foolproof, it gives you a clearer picture than most other starting points. Use it as a foundation, then back it up with your own research and judgment. If you combine both, you’ll put yourself in the best position to hire the right person for the job.