In the good old days, often the best path to hiring a qualified professional was through a referral from a friend or neighbor. But what if your friends and neighbors didn’t have a good contractor to recommend? Now many turn to the internet for information.
Online reviews are the new hot topic. Over 90 percent of consumers read online reviews for local businesses. 85 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, so good reviews can have a real impact on the calls you receive.
Here are some tips for leveraging reviews to grow your sales:
- Be sure to pursue reviews on the “top 4” for contractors: Google, Yelp, Facebook and Angie’s List.
- Be sure your reviews are current. Customers discount reviews that are more than 3 months old.
- Be sure to ask your best customers to post reviews. Most people only review their bad experiences.
- Encourage potential clients to read all of the positive comments your company has received. What better way for them to know they’ll get great service?
- Pay attention to reviews to diagnose production or quality issues before they cause you major problems.