The Truth About Traffic: Why the Highest Bidder Often Wins

“Ultimately, the business that can spend the most to acquire a customer wins.”

This quote by legendary marketer Dan Kennedy often rubs entrepreneurs the wrong way. 

In a perfect world, business wouldn’t be about money or marketing budgets. Ideally, the best product or the most helpful service would naturally rise to the top.

However, the bitter truth of the marketplace is quite different. You might have the greatest product in the world, but if no one knows it exists, you simply cannot compete. 

If your competitors are willing and able to spend more than you to put their offer in front of people, they will likely dominate your niche.

This brings us to the lifeblood of any online business: traffic. To understand how to win this game, you need to understand the two main types of traffic available to you.

Think of paid traffic(google ads, facebook ads) like water from a garden hose. You have complete control over it. You can point the hose exactly where you want the water to go, turn the valve to increase the flow, or shut it off completely when you have enough. It costs money to run the water, but it is reliable, instant, and predictable. If you need sales today, you turn on the hose.

On the other hand, think of organic traffic like rain. It is natural, free, and great for the environment, but you have zero control over it. You cannot force it to rain. You can’t be sure when the storm will start, how hard it will pour, or when the drought will set in. Relying 100% on organic traffic is like being a farmer who refuses to irrigate his crops—you are leaving your survival up to chance.

So, which should you prioritize?

I believe paid traffic should often come first. It allows you to test your offer immediately and generate the cash flow you need to grow. If you can spend money to acquire a customer and still make a profit, you have built a machine that can scale indefinitely. This is how you become the business that can “spend the most to win.”

However, this doesn’t mean you should ignore organic growth. You need both. Use paid ads to get the momentum going, and build your organic presence to sustain long-term trust and lower your costs over time.

At the end of the day, the goal is simple: get the customer. Don’t be afraid to pay for the privilege of serving them.