Mastering the Art of 5-Star Reviews & Testimonials In Your Trade Business

Ange
Exactly. So, if you’re just starting out or you’ve been in the game for years, customer reviews and testimonials and not just nice to haves, they’re essential. They can be the difference between a potential customer choosing you or going with the competition.

Andy
Yep. It’s that important. 

Ange
And today, we’re going to break it all down for you. We’ll cover why customer reviews and testimonials are so crucial to your business, what makes a great testimonial because not all of them are created equal, and how to get the right ones for your style of business. 

Andy
Plus we’ll share some real life examples and practical tips on how you can integrate reviews into your business processes seamlessly.

Ange
Exactly. So stick around. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to leverage customer reviews and testimonials to boost your trade business. 

Andy
Let’s get started.  You’re listening to The Tradie Show. This is the podcast for trade business and contracting bosses like you who want to lead with confidence, make more profit and create a better lifestyle.

Ange
We’re your hosts, Andy and Angela Smith, husband & wife team and co-founders of Lifestyle Tradie. Are you ready to have some fun? 

Andy
Hell yeah! Hey Tradie, I’m jumping in here to tell you about Buy4Tradies. It’s a buying group built by tradies for tradies like you who feel like you’re getting screwed on the prices you’re paying on materials, fuel and other services. Electricians, plumbers, solar, aircon, whatever  trade you’re in, if rising expenses are hammering your bottom line right now, it’s time for all of us to fight back. Get access to exclusive deals and better pricing for your trade business today for free. Head to buyfortradies.com.au.  

Ange
So to kick things off today, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page with what we mean when we talk about a review or a testimonial.

Andy
Good idea. Because a review or a testimonial is feedback provided by a customer about their experience with your business, services and product. This feedback can be positive, mutual or negative, and is typically published on social media, your company website. All review sites like Google. 

Ange
Yeah, exactly. Think of it as a customer’s honest opinion of their interaction with your business. And it’s more than just words. It’s their personal experience. It’s their story and it holds a lot of weight. 

Andy
Reviews and testimonials represent the voice of the customer. And you know, it’s one thing to go around saying we’re the number one tradie in our niche, but when someone else says it, it’s a totally different story.

Ange
Yeah. Totally. In today’s digital age, people are more likely to trust the opinion of other customers over traditional advertising. Think about it this way. How many times have you chosen a restaurant based on a friend’s recommendation or a positive online review? 

Andy
And on the flip side, how often have you avoided a business because of bad reviews?

Ange
Yeah, I know I have. 

Andy
Reviews and testimonials are super powerful in influencing a potential customer’s decision, they build trust and credibility. 

Ange
Which are essential for attracting and most importantly, converting new customers. So let’s break it down a bit further. Imagine you’re in a city where you’ve never visited before, and you want to find a good restaurant. So what do you do? You pull out your phone, you search for the best restaurants in the area near me, and you check the reviews, right? 

Andy
Yep. We recently did that when we headed to a Brazilian restaurant in Brisbane. 

Ange
Yeah, that’s right. And especially because we were booking for more than  150 people, but I still do the same, even if it’s just for dinner with friends at a local Indian joint in our local area.

Andy
But this is talk about how good that Brazilian place was, talk about meat, meat and more meat! 

Ange
Well, it’s probably not that great if you’re a veg-o. 

Andy
Ah, definitely not if you’re a veg-o. Did you eat any of those chicken hearts? 

Ange
No way! They’re disgusting! Not for me, thank you! 

Andy
Anyway, this doesn’t just apply to restaurants. Reviews apply to all kinds of businesses, including tradies. They can make or break your reputation, but don’t worry, we’ll get into what you can do if you do get a bad review later in the show. 

Ange
Well, here’s the thing. If potential customers see glowing reviews about your business, they’re more likely to trust you and choose you over someone else, especially if they have no customer reviews. It’s a competitive edge that is super valuable in today’s market. 

Andy
And here’s something I didn’t realize about reviews at first. And that is, they can have a huge impact on your team as well. Positive reviews are a form of recognition and everyone in the team absolutely loves it. 

Ange
Ah, good subject. That’s right. They boost your team’s morale and confidence. Think about it like this. When a customer praises one of your team members’ work, like them personally by name, it’s not just a pat on the back from the boss, it’s actual validation from the people that they serve. 

Andy
And I know some of our members even create these images with a picture of the team member with the review written on it, and they post it all over Facebook and Instagram.

Ange
Yeah, they look great. Don’t they? Not only does this act as a proof style post for your socials, which if you listen to our episode on social media for tradies, you’ll understand how powerful these posts are, but they also create a warm and fuzzy feeling for the team member that was highlighted. 

Andy
We’ll put a link to that episode in the show notes if you want to have a listen after.

Ange
Reviews also bring in a bit of healthy competition to the crew, right? 

Andy
And there’s nothing wrong with that. 

Ange
Yes. When one team member gets a glowing review, it encourages others to step up their game. 

Andy
And I know a ton of tradies whinging at the moment about sales. They say stuff like, I’m not a sales guy, I just want to do the work. The thing is, my first answer to that is this. You’re selling yourself the moment you were born. Everything we do in life is around sales. 

Ange
Well, this is a whole other topic in itself, right? 

Andy
Yes, it is. But you need to find ways to make sales easier and more fun for you and also for your team. 

Ange
Okay. Getting reviews is a tactic to make sales easier for your business because the reviews are what do the heavy lifting for you.

Andy
So let’s talk about the SEO benefits of reviews. And they have a real big impact on search engine optimization, especially for local searches on Google. And the more reviews you have and you receive, the higher Google pushes you up in the rankings. There’s a lot more to Google as we all understand, but this helps potential customers find your business when searching for something like, plumber in Wollongong. 

Ange
So, let’s look at this from the customer’s point of view. Imagine you’re a homeowner looking for a plumber to fix a major leak. You’ve never hired a plumber before and you don’t even know where to start. So, you hop online and you search for Plumber Wollongong  or enter your suburb name. So, you end up with a list of local plumbers. One has this plethora of five star reviews and the other has no reviews at all. Who are you going to call? 

Andy
Well, obviously, It’s the one with the five star reviews. 

Ange
Yes, but it’s not just about quantity, the quality of the reviews really matter. So detailed reviews with specific feedback can improve your ranking even further. They actually signal to search engines that your business is active and engaging with its customers. 

Andy
And when we were running Dr. Drip Plumbing, we realized the power of reviews pretty early on. And I remember one time we had a customer who left a detailed review about how we solved a complex plumbing issue. And that review alone brought in several new customers who mentioned it specifically when they called us on the phone. 

Ange
And you know what? It’s not just us. We’ve seen many of our Lifestyle Tradie members experience exactly similar results. One member, Matt, an electrician in Melbourne started asking for reviews after every job. And within a few months, his business was getting more inquiries than ever before, and he even had to hire more staff to keep up with the demand. 

Andy
And that is the power of reviews. They can boost your online visibility and attract more customers because you’ve gained that trust.

Ange

And this trust is crucial in the trade industry where people are often wary of dodgy tradies, right?

Andy
Well, when everyone has a story to tell about a tradie that either didn’t turn up or was hopeless or didn’t clean up after themselves, it’s understandable that people are so wary about this these days. And let’s face it, there are dodgy tradies that have given us all a bad name in the trade industry.

Ange
Yes, sadly. So, customers just want to feel confident that they’re making the right choice, especially when it comes to spending their hard earned money. 

Andy
Agreed. So, the next questions we get asked are quite practical. How do you actually get these reviews? And then what do you do with the reviews once you get them?

Ange
Ah, great questions. So let’s break that down. It all starts with customer interaction of course, the way you approach collecting reviews will vary depending on whether you run a project based business or a maintenance based one. So for project based businesses, you know, like a building company, for instance, or landscaping, it’s crucial to ask for a review at the end of your major project. This could be after the kitchen reno or that large scale construction job. 

Andy
And you want to catch your customers when they’re having that great experience. And when it’s still fresh, right as the project’s ending or something you’ve completed that stands out to them. And a great way to do this is to present them with a very simple review request form or send a follow up email, thanking them for their business and asking them for feedback. I know you’ve got an example there. So can you read it out, Ange? 

Ange
Of course. So the first thing I want to mention is we don’t usually go in all guns blazing, like, Hey, give us a five star and tell everyone how fabulous we are. We actually start with a thank you email and ask if they have any questions about the project. And then we go in with a review request, which may go something like this. Hi, John. I have a favor to ask. Are you open to writing us a testimonial, an honest opinion about your experience working with us? As you can imagine, the positive comments from customers speaks volumes when it comes to potential customers feeling confident to make a buying decision. And then the next part of the email is where we want to get really specific. 

Andy
Yeah, and this is where you can really get detailed. It’s also the difference between getting just a one liner review to something that really helped elevate you and your business to potential new customers. 

Ange
Okay. So let me share the second part. It goes like this. Perhaps answering the following questions in a sentence may help. What was the problem you faced? Were you skeptical about working with our business or you entered our industry or if so why? What was the experience like working with and then entering your company name and would you recommend others to use our services? Here’s a link directly to our Google business review page. And then you enter the link. We would love for you to click this link and write your review here. Alternatively, I am happy to write a version on your behalf and send for you to tweak. Whatever’s easiest, let me know. Warm regards, your name. 

Andy
And you’d be surprised how many people are happy for you to write something for them. Especially if you’ve built this amazing relationship with your customer. 

Ange
Well, you have to think about how busy people are, right? So it’s important to make their lives easier. So writing something on their behalf that you send that they tweak lots of people are super happy with that option. You just need to give them that option in the email.

Andy
Now if you’re in a maintenance style business like plumbing, electrical, you name the trade asking for a review looks a little bit different than the construction industry. And we recommend setting this up to do on your tablet or your smartphone. And asking for it immediately after payment whilst you are still on site.

Ange
Exactly. So one effective way to encourage customers to leave reviews is perhaps by offering them a discount or a bonus. So for example, you could offer $20 off their next service or even a small gift card. If they leave a review while you’re still on site, it’s a simple gesture that can go such a long way in boosting your review count.

Andy
I’ve heard some people having a bit of a whinge about people doing this and look, we’re not saying you have to pay people to give you a review, but if it’s a discount off their next job, it’s a great way to get them to interact with you time and time again, and it’s definitely worth it. 

Ange
Well, I like to look at it like this, most businesses pay for some kind of advertising, right? So having some of that budget allocated to encourage reviews, which help you attract repeat customers is not a bad idea at all. 

Andy
And in terms of getting your team to ask for reviews, make this as part of the flow of a job. It happens every single time at a certain time. And you need to teach your team members to ask for the reviews after they’ve finished each job and give them a bit of an understanding of what you can get the customer to write and help them guide the customer through it.

Ange
So we understand there’s times you’re not able to get a review for some reason, but you can also be incentivizing your team as well. You could offer bonuses for each review they help collect. So this not only motivates them to ask for reviews, but it also creates a culture of continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. It also fosters a sense of competition and recognition among your staff, which we talked about before. 

Andy
Yeah. Bringing these up in a toolbox meeting in front of the team, like literally reading out the best reviews each time goes a long way to lifting team morale, but also everyone’s individual confidence and showing to the team about how good they are and what an amazing review they’ve received.

Ange
Yeah. Look, I couldn’t agree more. Okay. So the reality is not all reviews are positive. So what about handling negative reviews?

Andy
The key to this is to address them constructively. Start by responding promptly and professionally and acknowledge the issue, maybe apologize if you think it’s necessary and offer a solution. 

Ange
By handling it this way. It not only shows the unhappy customer that you care, but it also demonstrates to potential customers that are reading the good and the bad that you’re committed to resolving issues. 

Andy
Yet negative reviews could actually be a good opportunity to show your dedication to customer service. And if you handle it well, that can turn a dissatisfied customer into a loyal one and even win over more potential customers. And just because it’s the way you manage the problem, it also brings a bit of transparency and responsiveness around it. 

Ange
Yeah, we even taught our Lifestyle Tradie members how to handle these in the moment when they’re out in the field using ChatGPT.  Talk about cleverness. 

Andy
Yeah, I agree, Ange. Using something like a ChatGPT just takes all of the emotion that you feel out of it. Because let’s face it, sometimes when you get these reviews, you are absolutely steaming and you’ve got to calm down and you’ve got to go, okay, deep breaths now, and you’ve got to act like a sensible human being.  

Ange
First sentence.  So now that you’ve got a handle on how to collect and manage reviews, it’s time to talk about how to use them to your advantage. And this is where the magic happens. 

Andy
And the first bit is visibility. It’s crucial to showcase your reviews where potential customers will actually see them.

Ange
Good point. 

Andy
So let’s start with Google. You’ve got to make sure your Google business profile is up to date and encourage satisfied customers to leave their reviews there.

Ange
Yes, agreed. Because Google reviews are highly credible. Plus they’ve got that SEO component. But don’t forget about your Facebook business page too. This is very accessible to customers who spend a lot of time on social media. Plus you can engage with reviewers by thanking them or responding to their feedback.

Andy
And your website is your digital storefront. You know, create a dedicated testimonials page and feature positive reviews on your homepage. This immediate social proof can make a strong first impression to visitors. 

Ange
Yes. Reviews are a super powerful marketing tool. Make sure you’re including snippets of glowing reviews in your brochures, your flyers, your credibility packs. If you hand out business cards, consider even adding a short, really impactful testimonial on the back. 

Andy
Yeah, definitely a great idea. Also add a short impactful one to your email signature so every time you email someone they’re reminded that someone is vouching for your amazing service. 

Ange
And don’t forget about social media. Like we said before, you can add images with the reviews in text on the top. 

Andy
And if you don’t have photos, that’s okay. You can just write the review text on some sort of colored background that matches your brand. The idea is to turn your best reviews into eye-catching posts. This not only showcases your reputation, but also keeps your content fresh and engaging.

Ange
So the other thing I want to mention here is like with anything in your business, you need to track and measure the reviews you’ve received. 

Andy
You want to understand whether the process of collecting reviews for your business is working or not. How are your staff asking for reviews? Like, how are they saying it? And more importantly, are they actually doing it?

Ange
Great points. And this is something you should be discussing in your toolbox meetings and even set a non-financial metric for the team to monitor as well, such as the ratio of reviews to jobs per tradie. 

Andy
And if your staff needs some training on how to do this, you can do some simple role playing to practice.

Ange
Definitely. Be hungry for consistency. When you see reviews on Facebook and Google, they actually have dates on them. So you need to keep getting new ones so that they’re recent. 

Andy
Yeah. It’s really important to ensure this is something your team is doing every time as they step within that flow of a job. When setting a stone, you know, it will be done every single time, you know, you’re onto a winner and your efforts will be rewarded both for the team morale and confidence, but also to convert more jobs. Now, who wouldn’t want that to happen as the outcome?  

It’s Tradie Dilemma time and this is our Q&A segment where you let us know what you’re having trouble with in your business and we will give you our best advice.

Ange
So today we have a question from Lucas in Queensland and he writes. “I feel like we’re constantly underpricing our jobs just to win business, but it’s killing our profits. How can we price our services more accurately and still remain competitive?” 

Andy
Yeah, this is a really good question and it’s not a five second answer, but Let me start with this. There’s a lot of trade businesses out there and they’re playing in certain segments of the trade industry, and they’re just up against everyone else every single time. And they’re playing in a place where the lowest prices are winning. And when you’re playing in that space, and you’ve got to drop your prices by so much to win these jobs. It’s totally affecting your bottom line. It’s making a massive impact on your morale within your business as well. And you’ve got to find ways to get out of it. And we talk about this A, B, C, and D customers. And it’s really interesting. I do see a lot of people that are in this space where they’ve got to keep dropping their prices. And when you’re in that space, and once you start doing it once, Now the customers expect it to happen time and time again, and you’re in a really tough position there. But for me personally, you’ve got to look at that A, B, C, and D customers. You have to see who the customers are that pay you for jobs where you can make good margins and they’re good to work with, and you’ve got to concentrate on working more with them. Too many businesses have C and D customers, D is dickheads, and they’re still working with them. And why? Get away from them and work on customers you love and where the profits are. 

Ange
So Lucas, you haven’t actually mentioned what style of business you are. So whether you’re maintenance or, you know, project slash construction style of work, but let’s talk project slash construction, which means you may not be doing too many jobs throughout a year. And if you are going in with a quote and say, you’re working for a builder and the builder turns around and goes, no, it’s too much money. You need to slash it by 20 grand. And because you don’t understand your hourly rate and what you need to charge to ensure that you make profit and you just accept and say, yep, no problem, I’ll just match whatever you’ve asked. You’ve literally just slashed profit, which I know you understand. So what we need to do is turn this around and make sure you truthfully understand your pricing. That you value the price that you are putting on that quote or estimate and that you communicate the other benefits that you offer the customer that you’re working with so that we’re not fighting just on price alone. They need to know that you are the right person for the job completely and it’s not just about price. It’s always about the value you bring, the knowledge you have, the years in your industry. So there’s lots of other things that we could be talking about that you’re communicating through perhaps that credibility pack that’s going out with your quote or estimate. And it is also what we’re doing from a marketing perspective so that we’re building trust digitally so that people actually value you as a business and they just want you as the solution. And that way, they’re not just fighting you on price alone. So when you actually understand this, and you know, there’s lots more that we could unpack about this, that way you can actually price your services more accurately. And definitely remain competitive because you are just the chosen tradie.

Andy
Yeah, that was really a great question, Lucas. And I know a lot of people are in that position at certain times, and it’s a tough one. So remember everyone, if you have a question or dilemma in your business, reach out to us and let us know how we can help you.

Ange
See you crew.  

Andy
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