You just provided amazing service to your client and they’re over the moon happy with the final result. They’ve expressed their happiness and have already booked their next appointment/service with you, and while you’re thrilled to receive such positive verbal feedback, you’re eager to ask them to leave a review for you somewhere else it really counts – Google. For some reason, though, you can’t find a way to ask them to leave you a review that doesn’t come across as weird or forceful. You thank them for their kind words and vow to come up with a strategy to ask for reviews in the future. But then you arrive here. To my blog. And you find out I’m going to offer you a few tips to ditch the awkwardness surrounding asking for reviews and how to strategically get clients to spread the word about your business.
Google Reviews Are Crucial For Small Business Owners
This theme will be common throughout many of your reads here at Highland Trail Analytics, and that’s to put yourself in your client’s shoes. Really! When was the last time you Google’d a small business, or a keyword that lead you to a small business, and were persuaded one way or another to engage with them further based on their Google reviews? Need a visual example to help out? Which of the below are you more likely to want to click on?
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Chances are you’ll feel a better sense of trust, credibility, and overall customer satisfaction from the business on the right due to the higher overall rating, right? Your clients could be feeling the exact same way, which is why it’s important to highlight your happy customers and get them to spread their excitement about your business/services online.
My Top Tips For Asking Clients To Leave Your Business A Review
Remember that feeling of not knowing how to ask that happy customer how to hop online and leave your business a review? Time to gear up for the next time that happens and be fully prepared with a few options to get your 5 stars on Google or a happy testimonial shared to social media!
- Display a small sign on your front desk with a sweet and simple ask.
- This is perfect for those who have a brick and mortar business. Display a 5×7 or 8×10 frame on your front desk or somewhere clients will be able to see as soon as they enter your space. This way it creates an initial impression but also serves as a reminder when clients are checking out. Try creating a graphic that says something like “Share the love and leave us a 5-star rating on Google!”. If your business is able to offer an incentive, I recommend something like “Leave us a 5 star Google rating and share about your experience for 10% off your service today!” People love incentives, especially when it saves them money.
- Link out to your Google My Business listing when sending a “thank you” email to clients
- This one is great for small business owners who have to follow up with their clients via email. Say you’re an aesthetician who just sent off an email to your acne client with a list of product recommendations – add a link to your GMB with a note to your client that says something like “I’m so glad we’re making progress with your skin! It would mean so much to me if you’d share how great your experience has been with me so we can help even more people who are on their journey to clear skin.”
- Take advantage of the opportunity to ask when your client is openly and expressively thrilled with you
- Remember the business owner at the beginning of this blog? Their client had just expressed to them how happy they were. Let’s say this client wasn’t in a hurry to leave and was even making continued conversation with the business owner. This would have been a perfect opportunity to confidently say “I am so happy that you’re so happy! Do you know what would really help me out? If you could leave me a Google review before you leave today. Would you mind leaving a quick review sharing some of the great things you told me just now? It would be so helpful for my business!”. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Rethinking Asking For Business Reviews
If there’s one piece of advice I can give you for asking for reviews, it’s to be confident. You aren’t weird for wanting the good reputation your business has to spread online. You aren’t pushy to ask a client to leave you a review. You aren’t awkward for wanting to ask a person to share their testimonial that could lead more clients to your doorstep or website. You are interested in having your happy clients share their stories. You are giving people an option to leave you a review, not forcing them to do so. You are responsible for caring about an important facet of your business’s online presence and making an effort to try. You got this! Contact me if you aren’t sure how to ask for reviews if you’re in an industry where the above tips may not apply, and let’s figure out something creative just for you.
