How to Write an Agent Review on Zillow

I speak to successful real estate agents who employ Zillow Group'south Premier Agent plan on an almost daily basis. (Side note: To be perfectly articulate, I'm defining "success" in this case as converting contacts to closings.)

Invariably, these agents will tell me that a key component to their success is getting reviews from clients. Which leads, of class, to a natural follow-up question: "How do you get more reviews?"

Here are xix tips from real estate agents who accept dozens — if non hundreds — of reviews:

Be upfront with your clients

1. Inquire for reviews. Very few people will only write a real estate amanuensis review on their own. You accept to ask them to do it. If you're just starting out, aim to get at to the lowest degree five reviews.

"A big change we made — one that changes the ball game and one I highly recommend every team makes — is to use the team review system," remarked Robert Trefethren, director of strategy and development for Fargo, ND-based Hatch Realty, which has more than 400 reviews. "We were doing them all under individual profiles, but if people expect their agents to get out and get reviews, they're kidding themselves."

2. Start talking nearly reviews from day ane. If the first time a customer hears how much you value a review is at closing, how probable are they to believe that it's important at all? Don't brand closing time the first fourth dimension y'all mention reviews: Let people know you'll exist requesting a review, then bring them up early when meeting a client or potential client.
3. Driblet a hint. In your 24-hour interval-to-day dealings with a customer, they will often say things like, "Wow, cheers for pointing out that stain in the ceiling. Non sure I would have noticed that." What a great opportunity to say, "That would be a perfect argument to put in a review!" Even if they don't use that specific case in the review, dropping those hints helps reinforce the importance of reviews. 1 Premier Agent I talked to is VERY straightforward when it comes to this and he volition oftentimes say, "Here'due south a pen and some paper, write that down because information technology'southward going in my 5-star review you're writing afterwards."
4. Don't wait until closing. Ideally, you've been mentioning reviews from the become-go. Still, lots of real estate agents say they look until endmost to inquire for a review, equally that's when the clients are happiest. True, but it's too when they are the busiest. Closing is a stressful time; if your customer hasn't however submitted a review, wait until a couple of weeks after closing to enquire again — but no longer than that. Here's where that drip email campaign can come in handy.
5. Brand a personal telephone call. It's even harder to ignore a personal phone call. Yep, it takes a little more attempt, merely fifty-fifty if you don't get the review, yous've fabricated contact with a past customer — and that's never a bad idea.

Make getting reviews a regular habit

6. Make reviews office of your daily concern. Real estate agents who have the most success getting reviews consider them integral to their business concern marketing. They mention reviews (and the process for writing them) to every customer.

"About a year ago, we started putting a focus on getting reviews," recalled Joe Garcia, manager of marketing and innovation for Marker Spain Real Manor in Alpharetta, GA, a team that has more than 1,000 reviews. "We saw stats from Zillow showing that people reach out to three, 4, five agents at a time, and when consumers run across someone with 100 reviews versus someone with five reviews, information technology's an overwhelming indicator to cull the i with more reviews."

7. Incorporate "the ask" into your process. It never ceases to amaze me how often I hear a real manor amanuensis say, "Oh, I simply forget to ask for reviews." Don't forget. Make it a part of your process. Enter information technology equally a calendar reminder and add together it to your buyer and seller checklists. You can even include it in the material y'all hand out to clients: "Don't open up a credit card account. Read all documents. Exit me a five-star review!"

"We have two strategies for requesting reviews: Nosotros cast a wide internet to people who are older in our system — who bought a while ago — and we send a more personal message to people who closed in the last month or and then," Trefethren explained. "You have to do both: Casting a wide net gets a rapid response while personal letters get a college response."

8. Don't rely but on closed transactions for the opportunity to get a review. Many agents seem to feel that the merely people they should ask for reviews are clients who closed a transaction with them. Not so. On Zillow, in that location are several types of client relationships that don't include a finalized transaction for which you lot can go real estate agent reviews. There'due south no reason you can't get a great review from a buyer who didn't close the transaction.
9. Use a drip electronic mail entrada. People tend to demand reminding more than once to write a review. It's hard to go along bugging people to do it. If yous employ a baste email system, prepare a "request review" campaign and send monthly emails requesting reviews from those who haven't left them.

"It's of import to have a system to track who yous've done business with and do gentle follow up after," Garcia pointed out. "It's never besides belatedly to share your experience about your domicile buying or selling experience."

10. Personalize the language in the standard review invitation. Near review systems use canned linguistic communication in their review requests. Delete it and write a personal message instead. Remind clients of what you did and how of import reviews are to your real manor business.

"We've constitute that the nearly effective method is sending a personal text message, dropping in personal linguistic communication, and making the client understand the purpose behind getting a review," Trefethren explained. "Don't exist agape to tell them, 'This helps me earn future business.'"

Make it easy to review you

11. Explain the importance of existent estate agent reviews in your business. Yeah, asking for a review is a very "me" thing. But sometimes that's what you have to exercise. Explaining WHY you'd like an honest review helps people understand the importance of them. "Reviews are an integral office of my business. You lot saw my reviews and they helped yous make a conclusion to hire me. I'd appreciate it greatly if you would help others exercise the aforementioned by leaving me an honest review."
12. Offer examples. For many people, looking at a blank screen and trying to come upward with words is extremely difficult. Make information technology as easy as possible for your clients. While y'all want the review to reverberate the reviewer'due south voice and not yours — in other words, don't write the review for them — you can provide lots of examples of previously written real estate agent reviews, and even include a few sentences that clients can copy and modify. Also, don't strive to get only v-star reviews: you don't desire any potential clients to question your actuality. Permit your clients know you want their honest and fair opinion about their satisfaction with yous and the services you lot provided, and that it's OK to give yous fewer than five stars.
13. Mine your database of by clients for those who haven't written a review. Think the client you lot sold a habitation to 3 years agone whom you haven't reached out to in forever? Hither's your take chances. Forget the awkward, "If you know anyone in the market place, I'd appreciate a referral" notice and instead hit them up with a friendly asking for a review. "Hey, Jim and Sally! Long time no talk! Hope you are doing well. I've started a new affair in my real estate business — client reviews — and would actually appreciate it if y'all would consider writing i for me."

"In the Zillow dashboard for real manor agents, you lot can literally go in there, type in the 25 emails you desire to send and information technology tracks them for you," Trefethren remarked. "If a review gets rejected, a client submits a review or if the customer does cipher, it tells yous and you can resend the email if you want. Our agents use the dashboard quite finer in conjunction with text messages."

14. Send a video e-mail. Information technology'south easy to ignore an email, fifty-fifty if information technology'south personalized. It's much harder to ignore your grinning face in a brusque video requesting a review.
15. Post a "review of the week" on your Facebook business folio. This appeals to the ego. People similar to be recognized and come across their "name in lights" and then be sure to tag the person who gave you the review in your post. It'due south uncomplicated to do and helps remind others to write a review for you.

Thank your clients for their time

16. Offer a reward for completing a review. I know what some of yous are thinking right at present, but this is not "ownership" a review. Let's face it, leaving a review is a bit of a hassle. It takes time. A modest token of appreciation — a VISA souvenir card, a Starbucks card — is non buying a review; it'due south thanking someone for their time.
17. Take a review party. Throw an cease-of-the-year "client appreciation party," simply make it selective and just invite those who have left reviews. Actually, throw two client appreciation parties, one for reviewers, and ane for those who have yet to leave a review. For the second political party, bake some cookies with icing that says, "Review me today!"
18. Hold a monthly cartoon for a simple prize. Once a calendar month (or one time a quarter), enter anybody who has left you a review into a prize drawing. Again, it doesn't have to be an elaborate or expensive gift. It's just an opportunity to remind clients that you lot're seeking reviews and offering a reward for their fourth dimension. Offer something simple that anybody needs — a free carpeting cleaning, fruit basket or canteen of wine.

"We might do a monthly or quarterly cartoon for everyone who gives us a review to win a really squeamish gift, and that seems to exist plenty for virtually clients," Garcia best-selling. "Simply they're really doing a review for the human relationship or experience, and most say they'd do it for us anyhow."

19. Invite reviewers to a special "only-for-reviewers" event. Another fashion to reward those leaving real estate agent reviews (and encourage others to do so) is to hold a private event just for reviewers; people will come. Take them out to a brawl game, treat them to a movie, fifty-fifty simply spring for pizza. You can also use this as an incentive in your follow-up emails when requesting reviews: "Hey! The only-for-reviewers ballgame is coming up adjacent month. Get that review in now so you don't miss the game!"

Bonus tip

Respond to negative reviews right abroad. Nobody's perfect and with the best intentions and professionalism, you lot might receive a less-than-stellar review from a dissatisfied client. Present your side of the story professionally and tactfully, and don't come off equally criticizing or deriding the unhappy customer. If possible, offer a solution to the trouble or make some other goodwill gesture to the client.

Do you take a great idea for getting more reviews? Share it in the comments beneath!

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Source: https://www.zillow.com/agent-resources/blog/real-estate-agent-reviews-19-tips/

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