Real quick. You've got 14 reviews. The place two miles down the road does worse work than you and has 380. That gap isn't about quality. It's that they ask every single time and you ask when you remember, which is basically never, because asking feels weird.
Here's the thing though. It only feels weird because you're doing it wrong. You're asking days later, by email, with a link nobody can find, right when the good feeling has already worn off. Ask in the right window with the right message and most people say yes without thinking twice.
The window is the two hours right after they see the finished work. That's it. That's the whole secret.
What you need
- A Google Business Profile (free, and if you don't have one, set it up first, it takes 15 minutes)
- Claude
- Your phone
Setup
- Get your short review link. Go to google.com/business and sign in, or just search your own business name on Google while signed in as the owner. You'll see a business panel with an "Ask for reviews" button. Click it and copy the link. It'll look like
g.page/r/something. That's the link that opens the review box directly, one tap, no hunting. - Run the prompt below and get your message written.
- Save it as a phone shortcut so you're not retyping it.
- iPhone: Settings, General, Keyboard, Text Replacement, plus button. Paste the whole message including the link into "Phrase." Set "Shortcut" to
rev. - Android: Settings, System, Languages & input, Personal dictionary, plus button. Same deal.
- The rule: you send it before you leave the property, or before they walk out the door. Not that night. Not tomorrow. Right then, while they're still happy.
- Test it on yourself first. Text the link to your own phone and tap it. Make sure it opens the review box and not your business listing.
The prompts
Write the ask:
I run a [YOUR BUSINESS TYPE] in [YOUR CITY]. I just finished a job for
a customer and I want to ask them for a Google review by text, right
then, in person or right after I leave.
Write me 4 versions. Rules:
- Under 300 characters each, this is a text
- Sounds like the person who just did the work typed it, because that's
who's sending it
- Does NOT say "it would mean the world to us" or "we'd really
appreciate it if you could take a moment"
- Says specifically what would be helpful to mention, so they're not
staring at a blank box
- Makes it easy to say no without it being awkward
- Ends with the link and nothing after it
One version should be for a customer who was clearly thrilled. One for
a customer who was satisfied but not gushing. One for a repeat
customer. One for a job that had a hiccup that we fixed.
Here's how I talk: [PASTE A REAL TEXT YOU'VE SENT, or describe it]Write the in-person ask:
Same business. Now write me what to actually SAY out loud when I'm
standing there with them, right before I send the text. Under 3
sentences. Casual. Not a script I'd be embarrassed to read. The point
is that the text isn't a surprise when it lands.Write the response to reviews you get:
Same business. Write me 3 short replies to post under a 5-star review,
and 2 for a 3-star or lower. Under 60 words each.
For the negative ones: acknowledge the specific thing, do not get
defensive, do not offer a refund in public, move it to a phone call.
Do not use the phrase "we're sorry you feel that way."What to check before you trust it
Tap your own link before you send it to a single customer. If it opens your listing instead of the review box, you copied the wrong link and every review you ask for is going to die at that step.
Never offer anything in exchange for a review. No discount, no gift card, no "next service is on us." Google's rules prohibit it, and depending on your industry so does the law. A review you paid for is worthless anyway.
Do not send this to somebody who was unhappy. Fix it first, then ask, or don't ask. You're not gaming anybody, you're asking people who had a good experience to say so.
Personalize one detail before you hit send. Their name and the actual thing you did. A message that could've gone to anybody reads like it went to everybody.
Read the negative-review replies twice before posting. Everything you write under a review is public and permanent, and the person you're really writing to is the next customer reading it six months from now.
— Jordan