How to Request Client Reviews

You can bet that in this digital age, potential buyer or seller clients will look you up online to see your reviews. Don’t be afraid to ask for them. It’s much easier to ask a satisfied client for a review than to ask a prospective client to work with you.

Our research indicates that having recent reviews published in your profile give your customers more confidence in doing business with you. But most important is to establish trust with your existing and potential clients. Instead of aspiring to achieve a stellar list of perfect reviews, aim for showing up authentically and use any opportunity to show your professionalism. Timely addressing customers' questions will be the key to gain their trust.

How many reviews is enough? The more, the better, but we think you should aim to have at least 5 recent reviews published in your profile. The key is to target the client when they’re most satisfied with your services. Let them know the importance of their feedback to your business.

Best Practices

Request reviews at all stages of the transaction process.

• Request them early! 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. You can use these free scripts to get started.
• Request reviews at mutual acceptance or within three days after closing. Don’t be shy about highlighting something amazing that wouldn’t have happened without your help.
• For past clients, you may want to reach out with a phone call. Use the conversation as an opportunity to remind them of a great moment from the transaction and encourage them to use that memory as a testament to your service in the review.

Make it easy

Invite your customer to write you a review. There are two easy ways to do that from your profile. First, sign into your Zillow account, go to your Zillow Profile and select “Request a review.” A form will appear where you can ask for reviews two ways:

• Email multiple clients using one general form (up to 50 email addresses allowed per day). Each of your clients will get an email from Zillow, with a link to your review form. By sending a request this way, you will be able to keep track of the status of the review in “Sent requests”, and know whether clients have submitted one or if it is still being moderated.
• Send a client a direct link to your review form. Copy and paste the URL that goes directly to a review for you. Review requests sent by direct link will not appear in “Sent requests”.

If your client doesn’t have an account, give them specific, clear instructions about how to set one up.

Focus on where you want future business to come from

Before approaching clients for a review, think about what kinds of business you want. For instance, if you’d like to work only with home buyers, focus on getting reviews from your past buyer clients. Interested in growing your business in a particular neighborhood or town? Ask for reviews from all your past clients who live in those target areas. Do you want more listings in your client’s existing neighborhood? Suggest that their review highlight your expertise in that neighborhood.

Don’t be afraid to guide your client toward the type of review you want; as long as you request only accurate and honest information in the review, there’s no reason your client will object to providing one.

Reply to all reviews — good, bad or neutral

• Use your response as an opportunity to say “thank you.” 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.
• Respond to negative reviews as soon as possible. Even the best-intended, most professional agent might receive a less-than-stellar review from a dissatisfied client. You can be sure other potential clients will give that review a close read. Present your side of the story professionally and tactfully; be careful not to appear as though you are criticizing or deriding the unhappy client. If possible, offer a solution to the problem or make some other goodwill gesture to the client.

Related resources

• 19 ways to get more reviews
• Appropriate replies to any review
• Agent Reviews and Ratings FAQ
• Review Policy