Getting Google Reviews

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Hey – Nick here.

Back today with 1 actionable tip for busy real estate agents.

This one is for Shannon.

Let’s get into it.

Estimated read time: 3m 48s

Actionable Tip: Collect More Google Reviews

Proof that you’re great at what you do is one of the most powerful marketing tools in your arsenal as a real estate agent. And it doesn’t cost you a cent.

Our goal today is to help you collect more “Social Proof.”

Why do this?

We all love and adore referrals and word-of-mouth marketing. The next best thing to having someone actually bring you up in a conversation to a friend is telling the public on the internet that they recommend you.

Your future clients (people who might not even know you exist yet) are likely going to do a Google search to see who is providing real estate services in your area.

95 agents have a Google My Business profile in Whistler.

Who do you think gets the majority of the business from searches?

That’s right: probably the anyone in the top 3-6 spots in the Google My Business section.

And out of those?

Probably anyone with 40+ reviews with at least a 4/5 star rating.

Businesses with more reviews tend to rank higher in local search results. And the top three local search positions are usually taken by realtors with an average of 40-60 reviews. On top of that, they also get about 25% more clicks to their website or on their contact buttons.

With all that in mind, let’s start getting reviews.

How to get more Google Reviews

We have a strong philosophy on any work that regards interacting with humans: it’s better to systemize than automate.

If you think sending an email blast out to your database is going to bring you reviews, you’re flat out wrong. We’ve seen this executed dozens of times with abysmal results. Unless you offer a great incentive, it usually falls flat.

Here’s a simple process to start seeing results to collect reviews:

1. Create a spreadsheet and enter all the clients or people you’ve worked with in the last 6 months (First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone Number)

2. Set aside 30 minutes a day for the next few days to call these people

3. Ask for the review 1-on-1, and get them to do it with you while you’re on the phone

The most frustrating thing that could happen is someone agrees to give you a review with all of the best intentions, and then they never get around to it. You must get them to do it with you, or it will likely never end up on their to-do list.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…

“This sounds like a lot of work and I’d rather be doing my real job.”

To this, we offer 2 options:

1. Get an assistant / team member to make the calls on your behalf (it works out incredibly well having someone ask for reviews on your behalf)

2. Offer something too good to pass up and send out an email to your database

For option #2, this means putting some money on the line and giving people a legitimately good reason to take 5 minutes out of their day to give you a review.

For example, you might offer a draw for a $200 gift card to Home Depot to help with home renovations.

To help a little more, here’s a simple spreadsheet you can use to track those past clients’ information:

And here’s a sample script for an assistant to help get you reviews:

Boom.

Repeat until you’re at 40+ reviews.

One last thing: add review collection into your end-of-deal process. You won’t want to have to repeat this process every 6 months. It’s more efficient (and effective) to strike when the iron is hot at the end of a deal.

If you provided “wow” service and you have great rapport with a client, make sure to ask them for a testimonial when they’re fresh. And make sure to get them to do it with you in person.

We don’t want you feeling like a Starbucks barista awkwardly watching to see if you’re going to leave a tip…

So just do this:

1. Send your person your review link via text

2. Ask if they wouldn’t mind leaving a review for you right now

3. Leave the room for 5 minutes to catch up on work / make a phone call while they do it

4. Thank them profusely 🙏

None of this is fancy / crazy marketing bullshit. It’s just work.

We hope it helps.

Thanks for reading.

If you enjoyed this, please forward to a friend who you’d like to see win in real estate. It takes 10 seconds and makes a big difference. And if you didn’t enjoy it, unsubscribe here (if this link doesn’t work, you can also unsubscribe below 🙂).

See you next Sunday – Nick