Let me reply to the first question:
I remember visiting a friend years ago when he got a call from a marketing agency, just checking in to see how his business was doing.
He immediately recognized the company and told the rep, “You don’t need to worry about me, because I have paid for the service of your CEO when he started this agency alone, and I’ve seen him grow this agency from a one-man team into many employees. He’s always delivered value and genuinely cared about my business.”
That conversation stuck with me because I wasn’t even the customer, yet I found myself impressed and curious about the company.
It showed me the power of genuine care, and that when customers feel valued, they naturally become advocates.
That kind of word-of-mouth marketing is priceless and often leads to the type of growth you can’t buy with ads.