Coaching Insight 1: From PPC to Referrals

From Clicks to Conversations: The PPC Problem

Not long ago, I was coaching a Head of Marketing at a growing technology company that specialised in workflow automation software.

She was bright, determined, and eager to prove she could open up new markets. Her target was clear: operations teams in mid-to-large sized logistics companies, the kind wrestling with endless spreadsheets, delayed shipments, and inefficient admin.

The first big move she had made was to launch an ambitious pay-per-click campaign to launch a new version of their product. The ads looked sharp, the messaging was tailored to “optimise your logistics workflow,” and the targeting was precise. For the first few weeks, the numbers looked promising with hundreds of clicks, plenty of form fills, and the beginnings of a decent-looking lead pipeline.

But when the sales team started following up, reality set in. Many people had clicked out of curiosity, not because they were actively searching for a new solution. Conversations began with polite confusion and often ended with “We’re not looking right now.” The spend was high, but the genuine opportunities were thin.

Shifting the Focus to Client Relationships

During one of our coaching sessions, I suggested she focus less on chasing strangers and more on getting closer to the company’s existing clients. I told her to insist sales take her to meetings, prepare questions to ask and really try to understand the challenges they were facing, even if they weren’t directly tied to her product. Context is always key.

The Introduction That Changed Everything

A few weeks later, one of their long-standing clients, a regional distribution company that was always positive and appreciate of their efforts, mentioned over coffee that they knew the Head of Operations at a national courier service really well. Without hesitation, he Whatsapp’d them right there and then saying they should meet and got a positive reply.

Within a week, my client was in the courier company’s office, still learning whilst sitting alongside sales, running a live demo tailored to their exact workflow bottlenecks. There was no need to convince them they were credible because their peer’s endorsement had already done the heavy lifting. The conversation quickly turned to how the software could cut processing times and reduce errors. By the end of that single meeting, they had verbally agreed to a paid pilot.

Trust That No PPC Budget Can Buy

Afterwards, she told me how much she enjoyed the experience and was now thinking about Account Based Marketing programs. No PPC budget could have bought that level of trust.

That’s the thing about referrals: paid campaigns can get you attention, but warm introductions give you credibility. In B2B sales, that difference can save month’s of chasing and dramatically improve your conversion rate.

Why Warm Introductions Drive Real Results - And How Paartner Makes It Effortless

You can’t rely on chance introductions alone, which is why Paartner exists to make these warm, high-trust connections happen consistently and without the hefty price tag of traditional lead generation. If you know someone in another firm who could genuinely benefit from a vendor’s expertise, making that introduction doesn’t just help them, it can solve a problem, fast-track a solution and help everyone win.

And if you want a simple way to make those introductions and be recognised for them, Paartner makes it easy. Your contact gets the help they need, the vendor gains a valuable client, and you get rewarded for making it happen.