Any company or individual who makes their living working on or around residential properties knows that to get a client, you need to gain their trust. They are allowing you to work on their most important investment and the place where they live and feel safe. It is very rare, that someone who wants to have their kitchen or bathroom remodeled knows anyone in the field. They know Home Depot and Lowes helps people remodel their home and sells appliances and flooring, but that is really the extent known to a normal consumer. Therefore, most homeowners will rely on research they can do through Google. These potential customers are going to want to talk to or hear from other people who allowed you to work on their homes. In fact, according to a 2019 local consumer review survey, 92% of all consumers read online reviews of local business, and 97% of consumers under the age of 39 read online reviews and take them into consideration before buying a product or service. These are the next generation of consumers. This group aged 18 – 39 will be the purchasers of fixer-uppers and smaller homes that will ultimately want to remodel their kitchen and bathrooms to improve the value and create a nicer home for them to live in as they get older.
A homeowner wants to know was the service provided to other homeowners professional and did the project come in on or under budget? Was the project completed on time and did the outcome meet the expectations of the customer? These are just some of the things you can tell a potential client when trying to sell them, but why would they take your word for it, when they can read authenticated reviews on Yelp, Facebook and Google? A potential customer is looking for recent reviews and even more importantly, they are looking for 5 stars. Unfortunately many people go right to the negative, and this is why you need to manage your reputation online and generate as many 5 star reviews as possible, for when you do get that one client who can never be satisfied and leaves a bad review, you need enough great ones to burry the one bad one.
If you think about it, the only reason why people read reviews is because they desire some new product like a convection oven or some service. Homeowners reading reviews are actively looking for a contractor who can work on their house. They are ready to jump, and you just need to be at the right place at the right time. The best part of this is the more Google, Yelp and Facebook reviews you have tied to your My Google Business Page, the more likely your listing will come up in the top 3 on Google maps and in a Google result page.
Reviews have a direct correlation to local ranking. While there are a lot of factors involved in search rankings, online customer reviews can be a strong signal to search engines that communicates trustworthiness and authority. A good online reputation is worth more than anything you can write on your website or tell someone in person. It has been said and is worth repeating, great reviews will increase new lead call volume!
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