Most of Our Sales Come from Word of Mouth
When Jason completed his PMP® certification with Cheetah Learning, he didn’t just update his LinkedIn profile. He picked up the phone and called three colleagues who’d been putting off their own certification journey.
“If you’re going to do this,” he told them, “do it with Cheetah.”
That conversation turned into three more enrollments. And those three professionals? Each one referred someone else.
This isn’t an isolated story. It’s our business model. Over 95% of our sales come from word-of-mouth referrals, and here’s why that matters.
Trust Beats Advertising Every Time
In professional certification, where careers and thousands of dollars are on the line, people don’t rely on banner ads. They ask someone who’s been there.
According to Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising report, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family above all other forms of advertising. In professional education, that number climbs even higher. When your career advancement is at stake, a colleague’s recommendation carries more weight than any marketing campaign.
What Makes People Recommend a Certification Program?
Results That Speak Loudly
When professionals pass their PMP® exam on the first try, they share that success. Our 98% pass rate isn’t just a statistic, it’s a conversation starter. People don’t keep quiet about wins that translate directly to promotions, salary increases, and new opportunities.
Time Respected
The modern professional’s scarcest resource isn’t money – it’s time. When someone discovers a program that delivers certification in four days instead of six months, they become evangelists. Jason spent years watching colleagues struggle through endless study guides. When he passed the exam in a week, he immediately thought of everyone still stuck in that cycle.
Personal Investment
When you succeed at something difficult, you want others in your circle to experience that same win. Referring Cheetah validates the referrer’s own smart decision and helps their professional community.
The Economics of Referral-Based Growth
Word-of-mouth sales aren’t just more authentic, they’re more valuable. Research published in Harvard Business Review found that referred customers have a 16% higher lifetime value compared to non-referred customers. They arrive pre-convinced, stay longer, and refer more people themselves.
While competitors pour budgets into paid advertising and promotional discounts, referral-driven businesses invest differently: in instructor quality, evolving course content, responsive student support, and learning platforms that actually work.
Why This Model Works for Professional Certification
Professional certification audiences are skeptical, busy, and comparison-shopping carefully. Traditional marketing struggles here because claims feel hollow until proven.
But when your colleague who works the same demanding hours and juggles the same responsibilities tells you they became PMP® certified in four days while keeping their job and family commitments intact, that’s proof. Not marketing. Proof.
Word-of-mouth sales reveal something deeper than student outcomes: student satisfaction so strong it compels action. People don’t refer lukewarm experiences. They refer transformations.
The Ripple Effect in Action
Consider the mathematics: If one satisfied student refers two colleagues, and half of those refer one more, the growth compounds quickly. Jason’s referrals have now generated second and third-degree referrals. People he’s never met are enrolling because someone they trust took the program on his recommendation.
That’s the power of earned credibility in professional networks.
Why We Don’t Chase the Advertising Arms Race
Could Cheetah Learning spend more on Google Ads or influencer partnerships? Absolutely. Would it change our business model? We don’t believe so.
The professionals who need PMP® certification are discerning. They research thoroughly and ask trusted colleagues. In a world of algorithm-driven ads, they crave authentic human recommendations.
Word-of-mouth sales aren’t quick. Building reputation takes time – like over 20 years that Cheetah Learning has been elevating our students’ careers. Earning trust requires consistent delivery. But once established, this approach creates something advertising dollars can’t buy: authenticity.
Your Turn
If you’re reading this because someone referred you to Cheetah Learning, you’re already part of this story. You’re here because someone you respect succeeded with us and thought you could too.
And when you pass your PMP® exam and someone asks how you did it, you’ll understand why word of mouth drives our sales. Because the best marketing for life-changing results is people whose lives actually changed.
Ready to become the next success story? Join the program that professionals recommend to other professionals.