Do you know where your leads come from? Probably not.

30th, Jan 2026

A while back, I had a client who was thrilled to get a call from a new prospect who said, “I found you on Google.” I was skeptical. He had almost no marketing in place, digital or otherwise, since we just started working together. When I ran sample searches, his name and website didn’t appear anywhere meaningful. That raised an important question: Was Google really the source?

Professional service firms tend to do a poor job of tracking leads. At best, they ask prospects a single question about how they heard about the firm, but that’s where it ends. They don’t go deeper. Many also don’t keep the information in a database or regularly review the data they collect for insights.

Understanding what goes into getting new business can be complicated, but it’s crucial.

What made a prospect trust you enough to call?

In professional services, hiring decisions are built on trust. Prospects are rarely comfortable calling someone they’ve truly never encountered before.

More often, the path looks something like this:

– A prospect got your name from one of your contacts, saw your content (your article, presentation, LinkedIn post, etc.) or met you at an event.

– Later, they visited your website, looked you up on LinkedIn and Googled you. Maybe they signed up for your emails, followed you on LinkedIn or reached out to some of your LinkedIn contacts who they also knew. This could have happened immediately or months later because they weren’t quite ready to talk.

– They may also have compared what they found out about you with other professionals who were also referred to them, or they came across when searching online.

When asked how they found out about you, they answered Google because it was the final step and the one that confirmed your credibility. But a Google search didn’t create the trust. It simply validated it.

Why did your contact introduce or refer you?

Another common scenario involves referrals and networking. Many firms will say, “We get all our business from referrals.” At a high level, that’s often true.

But referral sources are reluctant to refer someone they don’t know, like and trust. When you look more closely, those referrals are usually supported by other efforts, such as:

– Email newsletters that keep your name top of mind

– A professional, up-to-date website that establishes credibility

– Social media posts that demonstrate how you think

– Articles, presentations, or media mentions that reinforce your expertise

Networking may spark the relationship, but it’s rarely the only thing sustaining it.

Referrals still need reinforcement, especially in competitive markets where your contacts know multiple firms that do what you do.

Why should you track the path to hiring?

Prospects and referral sources are cautious. They look for signs that they can trust you before making a decision. As a result, firms must consistently demonstrate their expertise and stay top of mind using multiple channels. Because of this, it can be almost impossible to attribute new business to one specific activity. Yet, many firms do just that. They pick one source.

The problem is that if you assume your business comes mostly from Google or networking, you may:

– Underinvest in content that builds trust

– Let your website or LinkedIn presence stagnate

– Rely too heavily on a single channel, missing other ones that influence hiring decisions

– Lose out to your competitors who invested in marketing

A single tactic isn’t likely to bring success anymore. Professional services marketing works best as an integrated whole, where each channel supports and amplifies the others.

How can you improve lead tracking?

Instead of stopping at “How did you hear about us?”, go deeper. Ask prospects:

– Who first mentioned our firm to you and when?

– Were you referred to us for your current matter, and if so, by whom?

– If you first found us through an online search, what terms were you searching?

– What made you feel comfortable reaching out now?

– Did you review our website or social media, or Google us before contacting us?

– Have you read any of our content, heard us speak or received our emails?

You don’t need every answer every time, and depending on the responses, you may want to ask other follow-up questions. The point is to uncover what influenced the prospect, not just the first or last touchpoint.

You can also check whether you’re already connected to the person on LinkedIn and if they are in your email database. If you have a CRM or other database, you should track all interactions with prospects and referral sources, even if you haven’t gotten business yet.

Pay attention to patterns. Where are people learning about you? What information have they gathered about you and from which sources? The most important question isn’t where a lead technically came from; it’s what created enough trust for them to reach out.

When you understand that, you stop solely crediting Google or networking and start investing in the channels that quietly affect decisions long before the first call.

Need  help with your marketing, contact us for a free consultation.

Tagged: best practices, metrics