You can get 68% of your clients to provide you positive reviews just by asking for them, when done well. However, sending out an email or making a simple request may not be enough. Nowadays, you’ll likely need closer to 80% or 90% of your clients to leave (good) reviews to compete, especially if you’re in a huge city saturated with other specialists like you. It’s time to get innovative and avoid any blacklists, meaning you’ll need to avoid taking actions that may get your reviews screened.
Make Your Request Personal
In some sectors, you have the opportunity to learn quite a bit about your customer, because you are working very closely with them over a long period of time. If that sounds like you, then make the most out of the chance to really get in there and personalize your correspondence, so your approach is more like a close friend seeking assistance, rather than a business asking for a review.
You’ve done business with this person. You have a connection. Don’t forget that.
E-mail isn’t the only way to do it. You can send them a personalized handwritten note, or branded gifts. Always keep in mind that providing cash or gift cards in exchange for a review is usually prohibited. However, sending a branded gift product will put them in a great mood, and it’s one more positive experience for your customer, even if they don’t choose to review your company.
Now, what if you’re strapped for cash? You don’t always need to provide anything of financial worth. Oftentimes just listening and your attention is enough. Ask about the new menu, or how your customers’ new expansion is going. Business owners love to talk about their business!
Seek Out What Websites They Belong To
Your customer may not have an account at Amazon, or Yelp, making it a chore for them to leave you a review. If they don’t have an account, they aren’t likely to leave a review. Find out where they have accounts at and guide them to the review platform, with simple instructions on how they can leave a review.
Did they connect to you on Facebook? Then asking for a Facebook suggestion ends up being a simple option. Email addresses can be a huge clue too! If your customer has Gmail, they can easily leave your business a review in Google My Business. If you’re automating the process, it’s usually much simpler to supply customers with a few review websites to pick from and if they have a Facebook or Google account, the review is already half done!
Do Good In The World
Perhaps you’re an attorney who works pro-Bono from time to time? Maybe you’re a carpenter who often volunteers for community projects. Whatever you do, when you help somebody out by providing any kind of expert services free of charge, you shouldn’t feel guilty when asking for a review after the job is done. It’s more than likely these individuals will be extremely grateful, possibly even excited to leave you a glowing review.
Be careful, not to get into the habit of saying, “I will do this thing for you if you will give me a good review.” Much like the cash gift we mentioned above, it’s likely a violation of the Terms of Service you’ll find on the majority of review platforms.
Do the good idea first, so it’s clear it’s not that you’re not expecting anything in return. Then, when the job is done, ask the beneficiary for five minutes, and help them leave you a review.
Start A Coworker Reward Program
You can’t constantly be there to request reviews. But you’ve got an entire team of individuals who can be. The staff may feel a little awkward about it, or simply not particularly invested. But you can train them and work with them to encourage them to follow the best practices to earn your business the reviews it needs.
One strategy is to make a few easy survey cards for your customers. Ask questions like; “Did you enjoy your visit today? Could you leave us a review?” If the survey card produces a customer review, keep the staff motivated to continue to hand out the cards by offering your staff rewards and incentives.
For example, some have discovered that pooling the reviews works better, so they provide employees with $35 per review. If they get 10 in one month, that’s $350, a financial benefit which gets divided up between the entire staff. This is a quite cool approach because it absolutely ensures at least a couple of dollars in the employees’ pockets and promotes teamwork, instead of competing with each other.
Find Peak Customer Happiness
Find the apex of your sales or service process and while your customer is at their happiest ask for a review. Match their exuberance, and you’ll have a much better opportunity of getting the review.
Put The Reminder On A Gift
Providing your clients something physical, tangible, and low-cost, yet practical, has proven to be an excellent way to win goodwill, even if it’s just a little refrigerator magnet.
You may place a small thank you gift in a with the consumer’s order, also included is a 2-sided company card. One side has the words, ‘Leave us a review,’ and a QR code that automatically loads your Google My Business page review box when scanned with a phone camera, while the back of the card mentions, ‘Here is a small token of our gratitude. Please share your experience with other customers and leave a review!’.
Offer a Gift Before Requesting a Review
Again, and we truly have to stress this, the gift is offered as a gift with nothing expected. It can not be in exchange for the review. Make sure and give the gift to whether they give the review or not. This should be your default method here, both to keep you on the right side of Conditions and on the best side of excellent customer support. It’s not really a ‘gift’, if clients need to give you something in return.
Make ‘Em Laugh
Flattery will get you nowhere… However, humor can take you anywhere. And if nothing else, inserting a little humor into what could easily become a tiresome and repeated process is not only good for the client, but it makes it more fun for you. Be aware of your tone, because it matters as much as the words do. This likely won’t work with someone who is disappointed by their experience. But if you have an excellent “read of the room” and feel like your customer is satisfied, it might even change his or her understanding enough to turn what would have been a 4-star review into a 5-star one.
Give Them Something To Discuss
It’s a conversation starter. Give them something cool or unique that you or your company do, that you know will influence people to talk about your business. What sets you apart from the competition? Don’t be afraid to point this out to your customers. Plus, it can assist to turn things around when your pitch is falling flat.
Do You Have A Technique? If So, What Is It?
Do you have an innovative or intriguing review generation strategy like the ones noted above? We’d love to hear about it! Share your style in the comments below.
