On our recent KBB From the Tap Podcast, we spoke with Leslie Carothers, principal of digital marketing agency, Savour Partnership, which she founded 22 years ago. She offered up her extensive expertise on how to generate great client reviews.
You all know it is important for design professionals to obtain good reviews from clients, but do you know what steps to take to obtain those? First and foremost is to produce great work for your clients so they want to give you a great review. Carothers also recommends providing positive solutions to clients when issues arise.
She says the best time to ask a client about giving you a great review is after the project reveal when they are at their happiest. Taking notes on how you were able to overcome challenges is helpful in providing your clients with solid points for a good review. It can also really set yourself apart.
Carothers noted several sites where you can ask for reviews, including Yelp and Houzz, depending on the kind of business you want to generate.
It got really interesting when the discussion turned to offering your client a testimonial to help them write the review or even writing it yourself and having them sign off on it. Instead of a template, go back to those notes you took and provide your clients with ideas for three or four bullet points about how you solved their issues. It helps to take the real “work” out of writing a review.
Carothers also suggested another method for obtaining these testimonials, so listen to the podcast in full to get that gem of information. And in short, she does not recommend writing the review yourself and having your client sign off on it.
Carothers also said to try and get as many positive from clients as possible – the more the merrier. If you were particularly helpful during certain aspects of the project – choosing an accurate lighting plan or creating a series of elevations – make sure those are called out in the review.
For more tips on gathering excellent reviews – including video interviews – listen to the podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Pandora and other outlets.
