Step 3: Implement a system for generating new reviews
After working with past clients to ensure that everyone who had something wonderful to say about you has the opportunity to do so, it’s time to think about how to nudge current and future clients to do the same thing. The good news is that once you’ve set up a system for this, it will more or less take care of itself (especially if you have some administrative help sending email requests and other tasks).
First, set the expectation with your clients from the beginning that you’re going to be asking them for a review. This doesn’t have to be a big, heartfelt conversation; it can be as simple as: “Reviews are becoming a bigger part of business, and they’re everywhere, so after we close successfully, I’ll be sending you a request to review my business, with instructions on exactly where to go so it’s all in one place and very clear.”
Next, take notes while you’re working with this client around what things they might say in a review that can help other clients like them. What challenges did they encounter, and how did you help them get to the finish line?
Consider how you want to go about asking for reviews. An email is usually best, with links to the different profiles on different websites. Give clear instructions on how clients can cut-and-paste from one site to another (if that’s possible); the easier you make it for them, the more who will be willing to go through this process for your sake. When you’re at the closing table, remind clients again that you’ll be sending over an email with details on how they can review your abilities.
At the conclusion of each deal, send the email. Include a greeting, the links to the different profiles, and a suggestion for what the client might be able to address.
The best reviews will explain how the client felt about the service or product (happy? angry? indifferent?), what their situation was before they met you, how you were able to connect them with the buyer or the home that was the best fit for their real estate transaction needs, and why they would or wouldn’t recommend you to others. If there was a big hurdle or challenge you want to highlight, include a reminder in the email about it.
Save the review request emails you send to your clients, even if they seem too specific to apply to anyone else; you can always use them as a template later on and tweak them to fit someone else’s circumstances.
Keep tabs on whether or not they follow through and ping them again in a day or two. Use a different method—text or call instead of email—and ask first whether they got your review request email. Spam filters can be finicky, and you’re also giving them plausible deniability in case they just happened to space it. Tell them you’re resending it, thank them again for filling it out, and then shoot the email over to their inbox again.
Should you follow up more than once? It really depends on whether you want this particular review. If you’ve already got a few banked, and this transaction wasn’t especially challenging or meaningful, then you should probably leave it alone; you definitely don’t want to get a reputation as a review pest.
But if it was an especially challenging or meaningful transaction, try sending one more newly written email telling your client why their opinion matters and asking them one more time to share it.