They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but we believe that it’s a matter of patience and perseverance. An experienced business owner is used to relying on recommendations, quality customer service, and reliable products for their success. The power that Internet reviews hold may not make sense to your clients immediately. It’s not always easy to teach businesses about their virtual reputations - online reviews are relatively new, but they are shaping the standards of the business world. To help your clients see the benefits of review management, they need to understand the impact that reviews actually have on their business. Make the process as simple to understand as possible by outlining the pros, cons, and creating a plan of action:
Explain the benefits to them. It’s best to start with the good stuff - basically, how more online reviews can generate additional customers for their business. When surveyed, 91% of people claimed that they are more likely to use a business with positive reviews. You may already know how powerful recommendations can be; people trust word-of-mouth feedback from friends and family. But did you know that 76% of people find online reviews as trustworthy as referrals? Based on these numbers, it becomes clear that reviews play an integral role in the success of a business. Sharing facts like these with clients will show them evidence that online reviews are important to consumers. If your client is dealing with a close competitor, the difference in sales may have a lot to do with their online reputation. Start the conversation by detailing the ways that positive reviews can help their business.
Warn them about the risks of not using review management. After you explain the benefits to your clients, they may still be skeptical about how this process can be helpful. Educate them about what happens when reviews aren’t managed. Negative reviews can severely impact sales - one survey found that after reading a negative review, 82% of customers are less likely to call that business. A low-star rating costs your business customers every day. You can ask them about their own experiences searching for local companies online. Did they choose the business with the highest-star rating? Have they ever found a negative review and decided to select a different company? These common experiences happen to customers every day, which means that if your company isn't managing reviews, you’re losing business.
Reach out to them. Your clients may not be sold on review management initially; it can be a complicated topic. Give them some time to sit with the ideas, then follow-up with an email. You can include images of their reviews and suggest ways that they could respond to them. Helping your clients understand the impact of their online reputation will show them the power of review management.
Create a detailed plan. After your client is educated about what review management has to offer them, make a plan of action. Show clients what this process entails with a schedule that outlines the components of it. It involves requesting reviews from customers, responding to feedback on various websites, and taking action against fake reviews. Tell them about the outcomes of taking this approach: it will increase their website’s visibility, boost consumer trust, and lead to more conversions.
Recommend a high-quality software. RepCo makes it easy to manage your online reviews. Our reputation management software gives your business the tools to generate more reviews, manage incoming posts, and analyze your data to improve your operations. Stay on top of review responses with our system that notifies you whenever they are posted. If you’re looking for a review management software to recommend to your clients, contact RepCo.
