More Stars, More Clients,
Better Bottom Line

Social Proof. We’re all turning to peer reviews to make decisions on everything from where to eat tonight to what air fryer we’ll try and which service provider will do the best job for us.

We know this, we practice it ourselves, and yet, when it comes time to ask our own clients to review us, we get hung up. If you’d like to increase your reviews so that you can elevate your online presence, we have some practical tips to share.

Mastering the ASK for Online Reviews

We do it all the time. After a purchase on Amazon; while we’re still sitting in the restaurant; or when Google notices we were somewhere “on the Map” and directly asks for our feedback. What prompts us to do it?

WE HAVE STRONG EMOTIONS.
Wildly good ones, or wildly bad, we want the world to know what we experienced. Of course, the negative experiences generate a lot more compulsion than the positive ones; however, we still want to share.

WE WANT TO HELP.
We appreciate the value of a good review, and we liked the server/service/product enough to feel like we want to help that person/company/product have a fighting chance in this oversaturated world of options.

WE WERE ASKED!
It’s an amazing phenomenon. When you ask for what you want, you quite often receive it. I can remember plenty of specific instances where, simply because I was asked, I decided to act. Amazon does a great job of this – we order, they ask us to rate our purchases.

WHY to ASK
Maybe this is obvious to most of you; let me clarify just in case. We are an experience-driven society. We want to know how others feel about the products and services we’re considering. We trust our peers and we listen to their opinions. The world is defined by the achievement of 5 stars. So, if someone Googles you prior to making a decision, what will they find?

WHEN to ASK
The best reviews are given when people are at their happiest or most satisfied with what you provide. In real estate, that is at a few key times:

• Upon listing the property and seeing all the fantastic marketing you just put together on their property.
• At the moment you tell them the offer they submitted has been accepted and they’ve won the house.
• At the time of closing, when it’s finally done and (for sellers) a check is being cut or (for buyers) they’re handed the keys and the garage door remote.

It might also be a great time to ask when a particular challenge has been resolved, and they’re feeling immensely relieved.

HOW to ASK
Genuine, direct, simple asks yield the best results. People overcomplicate this, hiring third-party firms to do it for them, sending blanket emails to large chunks of people, or dropping something in the mail!

• If you paid attention to the “When” it’s as easy as asking while you have them on the phone already:

“I’m happy to hear your excitement! Say, I’d like to ask you a quick favor. We’re working hard to get more reviews so that people who are considering working with us can hear firsthand from others about their experience. Would you give us a review (on Google/Zillow/Facebook)? Let me send you the link right now, and I’ll walk you through how to do it…”

It’s key to have them do it while you’re still on the phone with them. If they hang up with a promise to do later, they’re far less likely to follow through, not because they don’t want to, but because they get busy and life happens.

If you’re playing catch-up and want to ask multiple people at once, it’s important to be specific and make the request time-sensitive.

I recently put this to the test. I wanted to put some attention to Google Reviews, and I wanted to prove the advice I’m giving isn’t theory. So here’s what I did:

• I emailed exactly 20 people
• I told them I was working to get my first 20 reviews by the end of the month
• I asked if they would be one of my 20
• I gave them a direct link to Google Reviews for Real Estate Masters Guild
• I offered to return the favor if they’d like

Can you guess what happened? I got 20 reviews! Thank you so much to you 20! I happily returned the favor 7 times.

My next goal is to break the 50-review ceiling. I know there are at least 30 of you who have either attended a Mastery Workshop, participated in a Mastermind or study group, coached with me, or trained with me in some capacity over the years. If you are one of the 30+ and will write a review, here’s the link.

Get your review process fired up, and let’s see what you can accomplish!