Relationship building is the best way to grow business. Whether you’re a service company or brick and mortar retail store, it’s the quality of service that people remember. Leveraging testimonials from your best customers will further grow your business.
According to a survey by BrightLocal:
- 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
- 90% of consumers read less than 10 reviews before forming an opinion about a business
- 74% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more
Contrasting Service Experiences
Recently I stayed at a hotel in Minneapolis. The check-in staff was rude and seemed quite annoyed to have to get us a roll-away bed. Add to that the fact that there was only decaf coffee in the room and the unbalanced chemicals in the pool bleached my swimsuit, and you’ve got one unhappy customer.
Upon check out the staff was gracious and promised to hold the offending departments accountable. This made me feel good enough not to leave too scathing of a review on my favorite travel app.
Fast forward two months to a stay in Chicago. We stayed at a lower rated and lower priced hotel as it was just one night of sleep before catching an international flight out of O’Hare.
The desk clerk was especially kind and helpful, even when the keycard didn’t work. When my son went down to ask him to open his brand new headphones (no pocket knife on the plane) he was happy to oblige. This hotel, though in need of updates, will receive a glowing review from me.
Get Testimonials
People say nice things every day. The key is to record them. If said in person, get them on paper or on electronic media. When someone shares a positive review, say thank you. Tell them why you appreciate it. Don’t rush. They might have more to say.
When you’re conversation is concluding, ask the customer if they can jot down their kind words so you can help other people just like them. I made a form for one client whose business lacked testimonials. They keep it at their checkout for just such an occasion.
Another option when you hear a verbal testimonial is to ask if they plan to share the review on their favorite social network. Encourage them to do so. (Let them pick the network they prefer.)
My brother sends out a nice box of chocolates to anyone who leaves a positive review on his company Facebook page. (I’d tell you what his business is, but he’d have to buy a lot more chocolate.)
An easy way to remember my method for growing your database of positive reviews is EAR. Earn it. Ask for it. Reward it. Don’t tell them you’ll reward them or the testimonial will be less genuine.
In Case of Negative Reviews
Business owners hesitate to create accounts on social media and review sites because they fear negative reviews. First of all, if you have a business, people are already talking about you. It’s best to be proactive rather than reactive.
Secondly, if you have one negative review, but a hundred positive reviews, the negative one probably won’t hurt you. If you only have one negative review, it will damage your online reputation.
