Getting Reviews From Clients: Top Keys to Success

I can’t remember the last time I bought a product or service online without first reading its ratings or reviews. The
Internet is crowded with information and can be a scary place for consumers. Digital deception and scams are real threats. I’m usually pretty guarded and skeptical of what I find on the Web, so I look to reviews for third-party reassurance.

And I’m not alone. Here are a couple telling facts from BrightLocal’s 2014 Local Consumer Review Survey:

• 88 percent of consumers read online reviews to determine the quality of local businesses.
• 88 percent of consumers also say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations — up from 79 percent in 2013.

It’s fair to say that online reviews are the new word-of-mouth advertising. As a real estate agent in today’s Web-reliant world, reviews should be a top priority in your marketing plan.

Why get reviews on Zillow?

It seems like every week there’s a new website claiming to be the best place to showcase reviews, so knowing where to direct your clients to write testimonials can be a challenge. But Zillow’s traffic clearly proves that it’s the number one spot where you should focus your review efforts:

• Zillow is the largest real estate network on the Web with more than 86 million unique users every month.¹
• Two-thirds of Zillow visitors are actively looking to buy, sell, or rent a home within the next two years.²

Those consumers trust Zillow’s real estate agent reviews. Every review is screened and vetted by our moderation team and fraud filters. With more than 1 million reviews published for local real estate professionals, buyers and sellers now rely on Zillow as their go-to resource for finding the best real estate agents in their area.

What type of reviews do consumers like to see?

When reading real estate agent reviews, buyers and sellers look for anecdotes they can relate to. A review like, “Alan was great,” doesn't hold much weight or provide enough useful information. Potential clients don’t just want to know that you are great; they want to know why you’re great. A better, more detailed review might read, “Alan was the best agent a busy parent could ever hope for. Not only was he tremendously helpful in finding the best investment for my husband and me, but he understood our needs of finding a home for our growing family in the best school district in town.”

Ask your clients to include specific information like what kind of home you helped them with, whether they were first-time home buyers or sellers, or if they were relocating from a different city. The more detail, the better.

How to ask your clients for reviews

Requesting reviews is all about timing. You don’t have to wait until after a deal closes to ask your client to write you a review. Request them early in the process. The best timing is the moment you get your first win with a new client — like when they get pre-approved or when you show them a home they get excited about.

Some agents even offer incentives with their review requests. Showing your gratitude with a $5 coffee card might be just what it takes to get a busy client to follow through with writing your review. Another top-reviewed agent I know holds a quarterly raffle for all his clients who have submitted reviews. He gives each lucky winner a gift card for a steak dinner.

Responding to reviews

The most successful agents respond to their reviews publicly. As a consumer, seeing a personal thank-you note from an agent in response to their review means a lot. It conveys a personal touch—that you took the time to acknowledge and thank your client. Responding to reviews also shows that you are accessible and responsive online.

Your review response can be as simple as, “Thanks so much for writing that glowing review. I loved working with you, too.” You could also get creative with your response by crafting it to emphasize more detail. A response like the one below brands you as a top-notch listing agent with a knack for pricing homes correctly. It also shows that you like to keep in touch with clients after a deal closes:

“Selling a home can be a difficult process, but working with great clients like you makes it easy and fun. I’m so happy we were able to secure an offer on your home at full asking price. Looking forward to staying in touch with you and hearing about your next adventures in life. Thanks again for the review!”

Why negative reviews aren't all that bad

Balls get dropped and deals can go sour. If you face the issue of a less-than-favorable review on your profile, relax. It’s not the end of the world. Consumers are smart. They recognize that no agents are perfect.

Many buyers and sellers actually lend more credibility to reviews when they see a negative one mixed in — it shows that they are real.

The best approach with handling unhappy client reviews is taking the high road and responding publicly to explain what went wrong. Avoid getting defensive — try to stay neutral and apologetic. Sometimes your response to an unhappy client can say more about you as an agent than the review itself.

Connecting your reviews to your website

For an easy way to sync your reviews to your office or personal website, check out Zillow Tech Connect: Reviews. Connecting your reviews to your website gives potential clients powerful social proof when researching your experience and history online. For more information about Tech Connect: Reviews, email reviewsapi@zillow.com.

In a competitive industry like real estate, professionals need client reviews to stand out from their peers. So here’s a goal for you: set aside 20 minutes every month to send out a few review requests and revisit requests with clients who haven’t followed through yet. Use this time as an opportunity to reconnect with past clients and improve your expertise. Making an effort to continually build your reviews is an investment that will pay off throughout your career.

¹Source: comScore Media Metrix Real Estate Category Ranking by Unique Visitors, December 2014, US Data & Internal tracking via Google Analytics
²Source: Zillow site survey, January 2015