We sat down with the team from Ray White West End to talk about the importance of Google reviews and how they have helped their business.
How did you get your customers to write your Google reviews?
We actually just ask everyone for a google review.
We’re fortunate that we have a large rent roll and as such are meeting a lot of people daily. When we complete a rental inspection we send the tenants a thank you message saying how great it was to meet them, we also send them a link to our application form, other rental properties and then ask if they would like to give us a Google review.
At a lease sign up/key collection and lease renewal, we let the tenants know that we will be sending an email asking for a Google review, we send the email to the owners too. Finally, if we’ve had a great interaction with a tenant regarding maintenance we will do the same.
Additionally, we ask our trade people as well as other services we use, like our social media team and photographers who work closely with our sales department to complete a review.
We really believe when it comes to asking for Google reviews no one is off limits, except staff and family members of course!
Why are Google reviews important to your business?
The first thing I do when visiting a business is Google them for the address, the reviews pop up in the search too. If I’m doing this, then so is everyone else.
A business’ Google ranking and the number of reviews tells a customer a lot, even if they don’t take complete notice of it.
Having good Google reviews helps us get to the table more, which results in us winning more. Building our Google reviews have given us greater credibility in our market place, especially as we’re a new business in an area with a lot of long term, independent businesses.
We also found out that if a business has a rating of under four stars, 47% of people won’t deal with them and 85% consider Google reviews the same as a personal recommendation, which is amazing!
How have Google reviews impacted your business?
They’re incredibly important for us, especially as we started from zero just under two years ago and as of today, we’re at 299 reviews. To be able to say “take a look at what our customers are saying about us” is a great talking point when pitching for new business.
We’re proud of our staff and the kind reviews they get from their customers.
Do you have any other comments?
We’ve also realised it’s important to respond to all reviews, good and bad. The bad reviews help us learn and improve.
Overall, there is no easy way to get google reviews. It’s honestly just hard work, being consistent in what you do and asking for the reviews.
Luke O’Kelly and Fiona Conde – Business Owners, Ray White West End
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