How Do I Write an Agent Review on Zillow

I speak to successful existent estate agents who use Zillow Grouping'due south Premier Agent plan on an virtually daily footing. (Side note: To be perfectly clear, I'm defining "success" in this instance every bit converting contacts to closings.)

Invariably, these agents will tell me that a central component to their success is getting reviews from clients. Which leads, of course, to a natural follow-upwardly question: "How do y'all get more reviews?"

Here are 19 tips from real manor agents who have dozens — if non hundreds — of reviews:

Be upfront with your clients

1. Ask for reviews. Very few people volition just write a existent estate agent review on their own. Yous have to ask them to do it. If yous're just starting out, aim to go at least v reviews.

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

2. Start talking almost reviews from day one. If the first fourth dimension a client hears how much you value a review is at closing, how likely are they to believe that it's of import at all? Don't make closing time the get-go time you lot mention reviews: Let people know y'all'll be requesting a review, so bring them up early when meeting a client or potential client.
3. Drib a hint. In your day-to-solar day dealings with a customer, they will often say things like, "Wow, thanks 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 employ that specific case in the review, dropping those hints helps reinforce the importance of reviews. One Premier Agent I talked to is VERY straightforward when it comes to this and he volition often say, "Here'southward a pen and some newspaper, write that down because it'south going in my five-star review you're writing later."
4. Don't wait until closing. Ideally, you've been mentioning reviews from the commencement. Nevertheless, lots of existent estate agents say they wait until closing to ask for a review, as that's when the clients are happiest. Truthful, just information technology's also when they are the busiest. Closing is a stressful time; if your client hasn't yet submitted a review, wait until a couple of weeks after closing to ask over again — but no longer than that. Here's where that drip email campaign can come in handy.
5. Make a personal call. Information technology'south even harder to ignore a personal phone phone call. Yes, it takes a little more endeavour, simply even if you don't go the review, you've made contact with a past client — and that's never a bad idea.

Make getting reviews a regular habit

6. Make reviews part of your daily business. Real estate agents who accept the near success getting reviews consider them integral to their business concern marketing. They mention reviews (and the procedure for writing them) to every customer.

"About a yr ago, we started putting a focus on getting reviews," recalled Joe Garcia, director of marketing and innovation for Mark Kingdom of spain Real Estate in Alpharetta, GA, a team that has more 1,000 reviews. "We saw stats from Zillow showing that people reach out to iii, iv, five agents at a time, and when consumers see someone with 100 reviews versus someone with five reviews, it's an overwhelming indicator to choose the one with more reviews."

7. Incorporate "the ask" into your process. Information technology never ceases to astonish me how frequently I hear a real manor agent say, "Oh, I merely forget to ask for reviews." Don't forget. Brand it a part of your process. Enter it as a calendar reminder and add it to your buyer and seller checklists. You can fifty-fifty include it in the cloth you hand out to clients: "Don't open up a credit carte account. Read all documents. Leave me a 5-star review!"

"We have two strategies for requesting reviews: We cast a wide net to people who are older in our system — who bought a while ago — and nosotros ship a more personal message to people who airtight in the last calendar month or and then," Trefethren explained. "You have to do both: Casting a wide net gets a rapid response while personal messages get a higher response."

8. Don't rely simply on closed transactions for the opportunity to go a review. Many agents seem to feel that the merely people they should inquire for reviews are clients who closed a transaction with them. Non so. On Zillow, there are several types of client relationships that don't include a finalized transaction for which you can get real estate agent reviews. In that location's no reason you lot can't get a neat review from a heir-apparent who didn't close the transaction.
9. Use a baste email campaign. People tend to need reminding more than one time to write a review. It's hard to go on bugging people to exercise it. If you utilize a drip email organisation, gear up a "asking review" entrada and send monthly emails requesting reviews from those who haven't left them.

"It'due south important to have a arrangement to track who you've washed business with and practice gentle follow upwards afterward," Garcia pointed out. "It's never too late to share your experience about your home buying or selling experience."

10. Personalize the language in the standard review invitation. Most review systems use canned language in their review requests. Delete it and write a personal message instead. Remind clients of what y'all did and how important reviews are to your existent estate business.

"We've found that the nigh constructive 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 be agape to tell them, 'This helps me earn futurity business.'"

Brand it like shooting fish in a barrel to review you

11. Explain the importance of real estate agent reviews in your business. Aye, asking for a review is a very "me" thing. Just sometimes that's what you take to do. Explaining WHY you'd similar an honest review helps people understand the importance of them. "Reviews are an integral part of my business. You saw my reviews and they helped you lot brand a decision to hire me. I'd capeesh it greatly if you would help others do the same by leaving me an honest review."
12. Offer examples. For many people, looking at a blank screen and trying to come with words is extremely hard. Make information technology every bit piece of cake equally possible for your clients. While you want the review to reflect the reviewer's voice and not yours — in other words, don't write the review for them — you tin can provide lots of examples of previously written real manor agent reviews, and even include a few sentences that clients tin can copy and alter. Also, don't strive to get merely five-star reviews: you don't want any potential clients to question your authenticity. Let your clients know you want their honest and fair opinion about their satisfaction with you and the services you provided, and that information technology's OK to give y'all fewer than five stars.
13. Mine your database of past clients for those who haven't written a review. Call back the client y'all sold a dwelling to iii years agone whom yous oasis't reached out to in forever? Here'southward your chance. Forget the awkward, "If you lot know anyone in the market, I'd appreciate a referral" notice and instead hit them upwardly with a friendly request for a review. "Hey, Jim and Emerge! Long time no talk! Hope you are doing well. I've started a new thing in my existent estate business — customer reviews — and would really appreciate it if you lot would consider writing one for me."

"In the Zillow dashboard for real estate agents, y'all can literally become in there, blazon in the 25 emails y'all want to send and information technology tracks them for you," Trefethren remarked. "If a review gets rejected, a customer submits a review or if the customer does zilch, information technology tells you and you can resend the email if you want. Our agents employ the dashboard quite effectively in conjunction with text letters."

14. Send a video e-mail. It'south like shooting fish in a barrel to ignore an email, fifty-fifty if it's personalized. Information technology's much harder to ignore your smiling face in a brusque video requesting a review.
15. Post a "review of the week" on your Facebook concern page. This appeals to the ego. People similar to be recognized and run into their "name in lights" then exist certain to tag the person who gave you the review in your postal service. Information technology'due south simple to do and helps remind others to write a review for you.

Give thanks your clients for their time

16. Offer a reward for completing a review. I know what some of yous are thinking correct now, only this is not "buying" a review. Let's face it, leaving a review is a scrap of a hassle. It takes time. A minor token of appreciation — a VISA gift menu, a Starbucks bill of fare — is not buying a review; it's thanking someone for their time.
17. Have a review party. Throw an end-of-the-twelvemonth "customer appreciation political party," only make it selective and only invite those who take left reviews. Actually, throw ii client appreciation parties, one for reviewers, and one for those who have yet to get out a review. For the 2d party, bake some cookies with icing that says, "Review me today!"
18. Hold a monthly drawing for a simple prize. In one case a month (or in one case a quarter), enter everyone who has left y'all a review into a prize cartoon. Again, it doesn't have to be an elaborate or expensive gift. Information technology's only an opportunity to remind clients that y'all're seeking reviews and offering a reward for their fourth dimension. Offer something simple that anybody needs — a free carpet cleaning, fruit basket or bottle of wine.

"Nosotros might exercise a monthly or quarterly drawing for everyone who gives us a review to win a really nice gift, and that seems to be enough for most clients," Garcia acknowledged. "But they're really doing a review for the relationship or feel, and nigh say they'd practice it for us anyhow."

19. Invite reviewers to a special "just-for-reviewers" outcome. Another way to reward those leaving real manor agent reviews (and encourage others to do and then) is to hold a individual event just for reviewers; people will come. Accept them out to a ball game, care for them to a movie, even just spring for pizza. You can likewise use this as an incentive in your follow-up emails when requesting reviews: "Hey! The but-for-reviewers ballgame is coming up next month. Go that review in at present so you don't miss the game!"

Bonus tip

Respond to negative reviews right away. Nobody's perfect and with the best intentions and professionalism, you 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 as criticizing or deriding the unhappy client. If possible, offer a solution to the problem or make some other goodwill gesture to the customer.

Do you accept a dandy idea for getting more reviews? Share information technology in the comments beneath!

Connect with active buyers and sellers

Grow your lead pipeline with home shoppers looking for an agent similar you.

Connect now

trichecatir1943.blogspot.com

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

Share this post