Who this is for
It comes down to one question.
Do your customers look you up, compare you, or ask someone for a recommendation before they buy?
If yes, this applies to you, whatever industry you are in. That moment of comparison is where an assistant now does the shortlisting, and being named in it is worth more than anything you do afterwards.
If your customers buy on impulse and never compare, it does not apply, and I would rather tell you that than take your money.
Where that behaviour shows up most.
These are the five I see it in most often. They are examples, not a list of who I will work with.
Ecommerce
Buyers ask an assistant what to get before they compare products. You are the one segment where the answer runs on your catalogue as well as your site, so the product and feed layer switches on - when a shopping check shows your products actually surface.
More on ecommerceTourism and hospitality
Trip planning has moved into the conversation. Someone asks where to stay near a place, for a kind of trip, at a budget, and gets three names back. Being one of them is the whole game.
Wedding businesses
Nobody books a venue, a photographer or a planner on impulse. The shortlist gets built weeks before anyone enquires, and increasingly it gets built by asking.
High-consideration local services
Attorneys, contractors, roofing and HVAC, clinics, insurance brokers, real estate. "Best injury lawyer in Lakeway" used to return ten links. Now it returns three names and a reason for each.
Professional services
Consultancies, agencies, accountants, specialist B2B. Long consideration, high trust, and a buyer who asks around before they ever fill in a form.
Not on the list?
The list is not the qualifier, the behaviour is. Plenty of businesses that fit none of these five have customers who compare before buying, and the work is the same. The fastest way to find out is to look at your actual answers.