If I'm shopping for something, I have trouble giving a lot of credibility to anything related to advertising. I expect facts to be stretched, supposed benefits and results overglorified. Yeah, I'm basically a hardcore skeptic. It's the engineer in me, I lean towards facts and ideally the removal of bias.
The irony? For the most part I'm an advertiser most every day. I blog, and if I didn't expect there was some chance of gaining business I'd find other ways of spending my time. Time is short and I really can't afford to be wasting it.
But there's an opportunity for all of us to gain free advertising that can cut through some of the consumer skepticism.
How?
Reviews.
I'd consider consumer reviews the 2nd best thing to actual referrals provided directly to their friends and family.
The words of someone who has been there and done the exact thing a consumer is searching for carries a lot of weight.
A home buyer or seller can give insight into EXACTLY what you're like to work with.
Do you communicate well?
Are you a professional?
What's your style of work?
Do you have an expertise in a particular facet of real estate?
If you can get found by a potential home buyer or seller you know for many of them that's just step 1 in their process.
They're checking you out online, and it's not just Facebook and Twitter.
They're looking for reviews and what their peers have to say about working with you.
Knowing that, are you giving them something to find?
Are you asking clients to go to your Google My Business page, or Yelp, or Angie's List, or your business Facebook page or Zillow or....
You get the drift, we need to ask for reviews. It's something I'm making a point of emphasis on this year.
Realistically I know that asking people to review me on a half dozen places isn't going to happen, but asking for a couple isn't overly imposing.
Find the places your clients are most likely to be and concentrate your efforts there.
Who knows, a few reviews may be all that's needed to take you from being a "generic" real estate agent to someone that seems "real".
Now to a certain extent there is some risk. I'm not going to intentionally seek out the buyer or seller from Hades and ask for a review. I just hope they don't think of it on their own.
But the typical client? I've got no qualms in asking for a review. And I'm totally okay with some of them not being 5 star. Again, back to being "real" and not giving the appearance the game is totally rigged.
Just keep building up the reviews, you just never know when you're being checked out by a consumer, or another agent with a potential referral to send.
Until next Tuesday, just Ask An Ambassador if you need help!
Bill of Liz and Bill aka BLiz
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