Running the Business · Part 2
Google Business Profile, reviews, and referrals: the only marketing that matters in year one, and the two laws that govern reviews
In year one, the marketing that produces customers is a complete Google Business Profile with real photos, a steady stream of honest reviews from the first hundred customers, and a referral habit that sends work back to the people who sent it. Paid ads, lead-selling platforms, and social media come later, if ever. This lesson is the profile setup that gets a plumber shown, the review system that runs itself, the referral loop, and the two laws that make it dangerous to get creative with reviews: California's ban on penalizing customers for what they say, and the federal rule that makes a bought or fake review a per-violation penalty.
What the full lesson covers
- The Google Business Profile is the single highest-return asset a new plumber owns. Fill every field, verify the address or service area, use the exact licensed business name, put the license number in the description, and add real photos of real work every week.
- Ask every satisfied customer for a review, the same day, with a direct link, in person and then by text. Do not offer anything for it, do not ask only the happy ones through a filter, and do not write or buy any.
- Respond to every review, good and bad, in a sentence or two, without arguing, and never in a way that reveals the customer's job details.
- Civil Code 1670.8: a contract clause that penalizes or forbids customer reviews is void and costs $2,500 the first time. The FTC review rule: fake, bought, incentive-conditioned, or undisclosed insider reviews carry per-violation federal penalties.
Unlock the full lesson
This is the public summary. The full lesson has the method, the worked cases, the checklists and the templates:
- All in-depth lessons, exam prep and After the License
- 1,200+ practice questions
- AI tutor (100 messages included)
- 18+ hours of audio lessons
- Full-length practice exams
- Pass guarantee
More lessons in Getting Work
- 1Where the first ten jobs actually come from
- 2Supply-house relationships and credit: the account, the terms, the personal guarantee, and the notice your supplier sends your customer
- 3Subbing to general contractors: how to get on the list, what they check, and the four clauses in the subcontract that matter
- 4Property managers, home-warranty companies, and realtors: volume vs. margin, and the paperwork each one lives on