Obviously, single family homes are not commercial property, but if you can find a way to mathematically quantify your question, you will be happier in the long run. 

While I was there I doubled our clientele,  so I definitely understand the importance of quality considering the majority of the clients I had were word of mouth referrals.

The "old dogs" there keep their mouths shut unless it is to ask for money.My advice is to run from that program, and invest that money is online education, on well known resources such as the Kent Clothier reww system, this Biggerpockets forum, the cheap and inexpensive marketing programs from John Cochran, Chris Prefontaine or many others that will help you to get started without having to spend tens of thousands of dollars on mentoring of people as little genuine as the Groves.In summary, Phil Grove's program will not work for 95% of the people that enroll on it, and out of the other 5%, it will mostly help those that end up in Phil's team.

People like word of mouth referrals, they are incredibly important to my business, despite the fact that we are in tech.Think of the 10 people you would try and sell a property to today if you had to, if they are not on the list ask them why or why wouldn't they want to be on it. 

I rented my last house with a lease option and the renter decided to buy the house after 6 mouths.

They often generate so much business from word of mouth itself that they struggle to meet the demand, let alone expand by marketing on the internet.

Even if there are some things that you may do different than the PM, you keep your mouth shut in front of the tenant.

Word of mouth referrals will probably get you a better contractor than other methods.

3 done any type of marketing (bandit signs, flyers, google adwords, handing out business cards, word of mouth, Craigslist...?

They were unresponsive to the tenant and bad mouthed me and my selling agent to the tenant!