Ask Every Customer Where They Found You
Ask customers where they found you, because analytics cannot tell you. It reports the page somebody landed on. It will not tell you that a friend recommended you in a WhatsApp group and they searched your name afterwards.
That gap matters, because most Kenyan business comes through routes no tool can see. So the most accurate measurement available costs nothing.
Ask customers where they found you every time, and write it down.
Why the Tools Miss It
Three reasons, all common in Kenya.
Word of mouth is invisible. Somebody hears about you and searches your name. Analytics records a search visit and cannot tell you a person caused it.
Referral data is lost, since links shared through messaging apps frequently arrive with no source information attached.
The journey is long. They saw a poster, checked a listing, asked a friend, and inquired three weeks later. No tool reconstructs that.
So a business relying only on analytics concludes that search is working and word of mouth is not, when the truth is usually the reverse.
How to Ask Customers Where They Found You
Keep it simple and conversational.
How did you hear about us? Asked at the point of sale, or during the first call, or when a job is completed.
Do not put it on your inquiry form. It is a field that costs you submissions and gets answered carelessly. Our post on forms that ask too much covers why.
Ask customers where they found you at a moment when they are relaxed and talking to a person. The answers are more honest and more detailed.
Push Gently for Specifics
The first answer is usually too vague to use.
Somebody says the internet. Ask which part. Did you search for something, or did somebody send you a link?
Somebody says, “Friend.” Ask who, if that feels natural, because now you know who is referring you and can thank them.
Two follow-up seconds turns an unusable answer into an actionable one.
Write It Down Somewhere Consistent
The habit fails without a place to put it.
One column in whatever you already use. A notebook at the counter, a spreadsheet, a field in your invoice book. It matters far less which than that it is always the same one.
Then read it monthly. Twenty entries is enough to see a pattern, and the pattern is frequently the opposite of where the money is going.
What You Will Probably Discover
Businesses that do this consistently tend to find three things.
Referrals are larger than assumed, which argues for spending attention on existing customers rather than new ones. Our post on repeat customers covers that.
One channel is carrying almost everything, and it is rarely the one receiving the most effort.
Something you forgot about is still working. An old directory listing, a partner’s website, and a piece of content from two years ago.
Then Act on It
Data changes nothing on its own.
Where referrals dominate, ask for them deliberately. If a listing is bringing people, complete it properly. Any channel producing nothing after six months of effort should simply stop.
The point of asking customers where they found you is to move attention toward what already works, which is almost always cheaper than finding something new.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I ask customers where they found you on the enquiry form? No. It costs you submissions and produces careless answers. Ask a person in conversation.
How many answers do I need? Twenty gives you a pattern. Keep going anyway.
What if they cannot remember? Common and fine. Record it as unknown rather than guessing.
Does this replace analytics? It complements it. Analytics sees the click; the question sees the cause.
Who should ask? Whoever speaks to customers consistently.
How often should I review it? Monthly, in ten minutes.
One Question, Written Down
Ask customers where they found you every time, push once for detail, and record it in the same place. Within two months you will know where to spend and where to stop.
At Africa Web Experts we set up tracking that complements the question rather than replacing it. From KES 65,000, live in seventy-two hours.
