{"id":14389,"date":"2020-02-21T13:30:53","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T21:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=14389"},"modified":"2021-02-22T10:24:46","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T18:24:46","slug":"agent-real-estate-client-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/agent-real-estate-client-reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get More Client Reviews (Without Breaking Any Rules!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Raylene Lewis<\/a> remembers the transaction to this day.<\/p>\n

She was working with a woman who had to sell her home per a judge\u2019s orders after a divorce. Lewis, a top agent in College Station, Texas, got the home sold within two weeks and for $2,100 above asking price. The sale went exactly<\/i> according to plan. And then the homeowner went online and gave Lewis a one-star review.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought she would be happy,\u201d Lewis recalls. \u201cWe followed the order of the judge. We did everything. She got more money than what she anticipated. And she literally gave me one star and I asked her, \u2018Why did I get one star?\u2019 She said, \u2018I never really wanted to sell my house.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Lewis has been active throughout most of her 19-year real estate career in encouraging clients to review her online, so one unhappy client — unhappy through no fault of Lewis\u2019s — leaving a bad review had no impact on her reputation. Today, Lewis says about 30% of her business<\/i> comes from buyers and sellers who choose her after reading online reviews.<\/p>\n

The numbers are similar for Andrea Swetland<\/a>, a top agent in San Francisco<\/a>, who says she\u2019s hearing more and more from clients who found her after reading reviews online.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say [that happens] maybe three or four times a month, whereas before I wouldn’t even notice it,\u201d Swetland says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might’ve been three or four times every year that people said that. I’ve had a couple of people tell me that specifically in the last month — they found my information and then reading the reviews is why they decided to call me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Both Lewis and Swetland have systems in place that make it easier for them to earn more client reviews and testimonials. We\u2019ll share their processes and advice below and, at the end, we\u2019ll make you aware of some important guidelines that should inform every agent\u2019s approach to client reviews.<\/p>\n

\"real<\/a>
Source: (Parker Byrd \/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

6 Tips to Get More Real Estate Client Reviews<\/h2>\n

Both Lewis and Swetland agree that getting more client reviews and testimonials begins with having the right mindset.<\/p>\n

1. Get over your fear of looking pushy and bothering your clients.<\/h3>\n

You probably know, or maybe you are<\/i> an agent who doesn\u2019t ask for reviews because it looks too self-promotional or you don\u2019t want to bother busy clients.<\/p>\n

Get over it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost clients are more than happy to provide a review and share their personal experience for other people because when they have a good experience, they want to share that so that other people have a good experience, too,\u201d Lewis says. \u201cDon’t think that your client is ever too busy to do a little shout out for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swetland suggests you recognize that your client might be busy. \u201cWhen I make these requests, I always acknowledge that they’re really busy and I try to mention why [reviews are] important to me,\u201d she says. \u201cI’ll say, \u2018I know you’re busy, I don’t want to bug you, but it’s so important to me that if you had a good experience for you to share that with other people.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Make the review \u201cask\u201d a primary piece of your transaction process.<\/h3>\n

If you want to get more client reviews, you have to be intentional. Swetland has a 4-step process for requesting reviews:<\/p>\n