Whether they’re searching for a restaurant, a wristwatch, or a real estate agent, it’s clear that online reviews play a major role in consumers’ buying decisions. As of 2014, 88 percent of people have used online reviews to gauge the quality of a local business—and the same proportion trust reviews just as much as personal recommendations. Real estate professionals have caught on, with 72 percent saying they consider online agent reviews important.
“Listening is the most important skill that any businessperson has to have.”
— JEFF TURNER
Jeff is no stranger to the digital marketing scene. Since in 1999, Jeff has built advertising solutions for the publishing industry; founded Real Estate Shows, a virtual home tour creation tool; and served as President of Zeek Interactive, a web technology agency. Now, at RealSatisfied, Jeff is changing the way real estate professionals and companies receive and use customer feedback online.Of course, Zillow, Yelp, Realtor.com, and other outlets for agent ratings are just the tip of the iceberg—and as President of RealSatisfied, Jeff Turner is on a mission to show real estate agents, brokers, and brands the true potential of customer feedback.
“On the most popular sites agents are sending clients to [for reviews], you’ve basically got four questions. It’s not enough,” Jeff told us. “Buying a piece of real estate is not like buying a slice of pizza. You can’t just go in and say, ‘five stars.’”
Instead, RealSatisfied allows real estate professionals to send in-depth surveys to clients, offering more insight into what consumers really want, and how agents can improve their businesses to serve them better. “Listening is the most important skill that any businessperson has to have,” Jeff said. With RealSatisfied, Jeff is committed to helping real estate marketers improve that skill.
In this interview, we sat down with Jeff to talk about the place of reviews in today’s digital landscape, the biggest mistakes agents are making on social media, and how real estate professionals can anticipate customers’ needs.
– Matt Barba & Seth Price
