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A variety of things influences a customer's decision to buy from your business.

For example, when I'm contemplating whether or not to buy something, I usually ask my friends for suggestions before conducting an extensive web study into my options.

And, because it's easy to buy stuff online without ever speaking to a salesperson, the internet usually does the selling for you, which can significantly impact whether or not a buyer acknowledges you.

The truth is that your company's finest marketers and salespeople are your current customers, not your workers.

Customer confidence in businesses is dwindling. In the absence of trusted suggestions, 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. This makes customer reviews the single most trustworthy and reputable type of "promotion" available. In addition, 60% of consumers believe customer reviews are either reliable or highly trustworthy, implying that businesses with more positive ratings have a higher possibility of influencing a consumer's buying decision.

According to current research, favorable customer evaluations increase a business' trustworthiness by 73%. In addition, more than 50% of customers visit a company's website after reading excellent feedback. The key takeaway is that in today's competitive, online-first marketplace, businesses need plenty of pleased consumers that are willing to post positive feedback to help attract new users.

The great news is that your consumers are generally more than willing to assist you. For example, 68% of consumers who were requested to submit feedback were willing to do so. So don't be afraid of the possibility of asking your consumers for a favor; all you have to do is ask, and they'll most likely gladly assist you.

 How Do You Ask Customers for Free Reviews?

1. Determine the Best Times to Ask Based On Their Buyer's Journey

To achieve the best results, make sure you're asking for customer evaluations at the right time about their journey with your business.

Business connections have natural ups and downs, ranging from sticker shock to indecision at the last minute. Ever wondered what pushes consumers to abandon their carts when shopping online? You have to work hard to create successful outcomes and addressing pain points or problems until the customer is satisfied.

Consider this: If you ask for an evaluation at the wrong time, you risk having a customer leave a nasty comment that scores of people will read before deciding whether or not to buy from you.

Request client feedback at critical points in the consumer journey, such as:

·      After they've demonstrated success with your product or service

·      When they re-order or re-purchase

·      After they mention your business or brand in social media channels

·      If they're on your website looking at other items or services, that's a good sign.

·      If they recommend you to another customer

2. Pick A Method That Works at A Large Scale for You

According to research, having 50 reviews or more might raise conversion rates by 4.6%.

The essential takeaway is that the more reviews or positive ratings you get, the more social proof you have, and the more trust people will have in your brand.

Also, remember that old ratings from last year or even older tend to inspire less trust than more recent ones. In short, the newer reviews will be doing the heavy lifting for you and not the other way around.

Obtaining testimonials should become a regular part of your marketing routine to feed your flywheel fully. This is one of the best ways to get the testimonials on a larger scale in a way that your brand's social proof will steadily increase over time.

Here are some standard methods for requesting scale reviews:

·      After every successful project or service, teach your staff to ask for feedback.

·      As part of your email marketing automation efforts, including requests for reviews.

·      Use NPS (Net Promoter Score) to find promoters (your most satisfied customers) at a large scale, and have your service team nurture relationships with them.

And as an optional final step, include review links after checkout or on thank-you pages. Whatever you choose, make it a habit to do it regularly.

3. Ask for Reviews Personally

If you have close ties with customers, don't be afraid to use a more personal touch by asking them to give you an individual assessment of their experience with your product and service.

Remember to keep things conversational, especially when you take your customers out to lunch or coffee or invite them to a business event. Of course, with the pandemic in tow, such interactions may be more limited, but you shouldn't completely take it out of the picture.

If your consumers regularly tell you they're having success, let them know you respect their input and loyalty, and you'd welcome it if they could help you spread the word to new customers.

4. Capitalize on Moments of Consumer Delight

Watch out for scenarios where your customers have reached peak happiness because they bought your product or tried your service. These accomplishments and breakthroughs are goldmines of social proof and positive ratings. Your customers will likely not just offer you a review as a kind of reciprocity for good work. These customers are also more likely to give you not just good reviews but the best reviews ever.

5. Utilize Open-Ended Questions in Customer Interactions

Avoid approaching a consumer and asking for a review in electronic messages or emails.

Instead, start the conversation with an open-ended inquiry to prime the pump.

You can start a dialogue and measure their level of happiness by asking them questions like "How are you like the product?" or "Are you ready to renew/purchase again?" or "How was your recent engagement with customer support?"

These questions pave the way for better conditions before you can ask for the actual review. If they are unsatisfied or feel that a negative or harsh review is underway, the best way to handle that is to take steps to make the customer happy or satisfied.

This is approach advantageous in two ways:

·      You may get helpful client feedback.

·      You won't make the embarrassing error of requesting a consumer for a review before knowing that they had a bad experience.

Use the model of the open-ended inquiry to get honest feedback from customers — and to make sure they're happy before giving them a reason to leave a review. And there is nothing you can do about unfavorable reviews appearing on various websites, but if a consumer has a problem, address it first before asking them to evaluate your business.