Testimoninals Build Trust: How to Give and Get 5-Star Reviews

One of the most asked questions is around whether reviews or testimonials are important. -- YES 100%! Some might say that they are a cost of getting new business.

Did you know for many consumers, worse than seeing a bad review, is seeing no reviews at all?

If you're a small business, especially a local one, reviews are what drive people in store. Over 90% of consumers will look at reviews to gain the status and quality of a local business before shopping and/or purchasing. So it's paramount to encourage people to leave reviews as building trust is everything.

In theory, while it seems simple enough to get a review, asking for support from your customers can feel icky and sometimes scary -- even for me. If we had our way, customers and fans would magically always talk us up and share 5-Star reviews on their own, but in real life... sometimes they need a push, even when the service has been good.

It's interesting to note that reviews can be even harder to obtain for service providers, vs. say a restaurant, product, or clothing brand. Customers tend to think about sharing their feedback more readily with these types of business vs. those who provide a service to a person or business, even if both give them a negative or positive result.

According to Zendesk, "95% are willing to share their experience when something goes wrong, vs. 87% when everything has been good." This is partially because negative experiences trigger an emotional response, and unfortunately bad feelings can often override the positive ones.

How Do You Ask For 5-Star Reviews?

Here are 3 powerful ways to get 5-Start Reviews for your Business:

1. QR Codes You can create a QR Code (for free) that links to your Google Review page (This is where most leave a review) and add it to:

   • Bottom of your Receipt: If you liked your service today, we'd love a 5-Star* Review and your feedback

   • On a Card at the Register or at the Tables: These are great places to include one at a restaurant. It reminds people to take a moment while they're paying to share their feedback with you.

   • Garment tag: While not used as often, this can link to the product page for a clothing brand so others considering the clothing know what to expect if they want to buy it too. PROTIP: While making a QR Code visible before customers have even used your service may seem unnecessary, it keeps idea to share feedback top of mind.
     

2. Post-Project Survey As a service provider I employ this technique. I do ask for a 5-Star Review with a link, but I also ask them other questions about their experience on the off chance they don't agree to leaving a review. (You'd be surprised, even those who are happy with your services, sometimes don't want to go to Google to leave a review.) PRO TIP: If you phrase your questions well enough, you can capture feedback that can be crafted into a review. When they may not want to leave a review on their own, I find some clients would rather "react" to something vs. having to come up with it from scratch. Once in their hands, they will either immediately accept it and post it on their own or make some edits first.
   

3. Follow up Email We've all been the recipient of a post-purchase email asking how our experience was at one time or another. The follow up email is a second chance to not only "thank them for their purchase" but a chance to follow-through with a review request and/or feedback. In my POV, this is a great technique as it extends the customer experience. Plus, even if a customer shares negative feedback, it's a chance to learn and hear directly from your customer about what was good and what needs work. This is invaluable in my book.

*ALWAYS ask for 5-Stars when you're asking for reviews. If you don't specify, people will choose a lower number. (Candidly customers can always select a lower number, but why not hedge your bets because the 5-Star prompt does work. My clients and I have tested it.)

How to Handle a Bad Review Got a bad review? It's not the end of the world, truly it's all in how you handle it.

We get it, everyone has a bad day and can mess up. We also know that people are triggered by negative events and are more likely to share a negative review or feedback when they are unhappy. Remember, often when you get a bad review, the customer just wants to be seen and heard, sometimes more than needing you to "fix" it.

1. The best approach is to first and foremost, monitor your reviews. Set up alerts for both Google, Yelp and Trip Advisor (or other sites that apply). This way you always know when someone has left a review.
   

2. Don't ignore them. Even though you may hate getting them, ignoring them makes it worse and makes your business look unresponsive. Don't forget to respond to the positive reviews too. Remember, someone has taken the time to praise you. It's always nice to say thank you back.
   

3. If you get a bad review, address it as quickly as possible. No matter what they have shared, try not to be defensive. In most cases the customer is always right but sometimes they are not. Start with the fact that they are right. Thanking them for their feedback, acknowledge their disappointment, share your commitment to quality service and products and then see if you can make it right.
   

A good response to "the food was cold and bland. You ruined my meal.":

"Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We strive to make every meal memorable at (Biz Name) and we are sorry that we did not hit it out of the park for you during your visit. We know weekends (when they visited) are busy, but we do try to get every dish seasoned just right and delivered hot to your table. We're sorry this did not happen. While you may not be happy now, may we have a second chance to get it right and we offer you a gift card/discount etc... towards another visit?"

This type of response can defuse sometimes even the unhappiest of customers. You've thanked them for their feedback, acknowledged their displeasure and tried to make it right. I've seen this cause reviewers to update their reviews on more than one occasion.

PRO TIP: When Bad reviews happen (and can, even for the best of us). Address it on the platform where they've shared it, but also share an email where they can talk with you "directly" to get more feedback you may be able to share with the team if they don't feel satisfied. Hashing it out within your reviews (i.e., back and forth) is never a good idea, or look, in your reviews.

How to Give a Valuable 5-Star Review for a Small Business

Just like you may share a negative review when you're unhappy, we hope that you consider giving the good ones. These are the testimonials that really create a buzz, leads and traffic for a small business. But do you know how to share a good review?

Here are 3 tips for leaving a valuable review and testimonial:

1. Use the name of the business and owner in your review. Just a small reinforcement of the business helps confirm your interaction with the brand or business and get it out on the world wide web.
   

2. List key services or words that describe the business in your review. While you may not think it matters, on Google especially, these are SEO (Search Engine Optimization) keyword gems! Google connects these keywords to the business and it helps them show up more often in search results when other people are searching for similar services or needs.
   

3. Add a Photo! You know how a photo is worth 1,000 words? Well it's worth its weight in gold in Google's rankings. For each review a business gets, the more credibility it receives when Google is ranking similar businesses. This true even if you leave a photo after posting your review. Photos really help a business stand out.

As you can see reviews,, especially getting 5-Star reviews matter. The more you have (the top-ranking businesses have 47 or more reviews) the better. It may feel icky or challenging to ask for them, but when prospects are looking for reviews and testimoninials when considering your business -- some even liken them to coming from a trusted friend -- how can you not bite the bullet and add a QR code or link ask for a 5-Star review.

Just as important are dealing when the bad ones when they come it. It's almost inevitable. But if you're like most business owners, you want happy customer and want to make things right. The best approach is to act fast, acknowledge the issue and try to make it right. And don't forget to say thanks for the rave reviews too!

Finally, don't forget to share your own feedback and testimonials when you've had a great experience with a business! Be a customer hero, give them 5-Stars, use their name, key services that they provide and photos to help them improve their rankings and get found quickly! What did you think? Have you tried any of these tips already? Have you had anyone refer to your reviews when they came to work with you or use your products?