Testimonials are one of the most important pieces of your marketing arsenal as a real estate agent. They serve as validation that you’re providing quality services and can be used to build trust with potential clients. Testimonials also provide insight into how you handle yourself in various situations, which can help prospects choose between different agents to work with. Here’s what you need to know about gathering and displaying real estate agent testimonials.
Why Testimonials are Important for Real Estate Agents
Testimonials and reviews play a huge role in the success or failure of your real estate career. If you’re not collecting testimonials from your clients, you could be missing out on a major opportunity to attract new leads and close more sales.
When prospects search for agents, one of the first things they’ll do is look at your online reviews and testimonials. Many will want to work with someone who has great ratings from the past, so it’s important that you have a good selection of reviews and testimonials from previous clients.
In many cases, prospects won’t even bother contacting agents who don’t have any reviews or testimonials to speak of. They’ll simply choose another agent who has a better reputation instead. If you want to grow your business, it’s important that you get more people talking about your services online.
In addition to providing validation for potential clients, testimonials can be useful for you as an agent. They provide insight into how your customers perceive you and can give clues about what went well during the relationship so you can repeat it with other prospects.
Types of Testimonials You Can Display on Your Website
There are different types of testimonials that you can display on your website. Most commonly, agents display reviews from third-party review sites like Google, Facebook, and Yelp. Even if these reviews aren’t 100 percent positive, they still provide validation for potential clients who are looking at your website or social media profiles.
There are also many benefits to using video testimonials. Video can provide a more personal look at your services and give prospects a chance to see how you interact with your clients. You can even start a collection of video testimonials on YouTube or create a YouTube channel for testimonials alone.
At the end of your transaction with a customer, ask them if they’d be willing to create a video testimonial for you.
How to Gather Testimonials from Customers
The first step of gathering testimonials is to request them. Your business card, emails, website, and other marketing materials should include instructions on how clients can provide you with feedback on their experiences. Allowing clients multiple ways of contacting you is ideal, so no one feels left out.
When asking for testimonials, it’s important not to be pushy or expect immediate responses. Simply remind people that their opinion matters and that you’re always looking for ways to improve your services. It can also be helpful to offer incentives for providing feedback.
Some incentives to consider include a discount on their next purchase or entry into a contest. You could even offer a prize.
Once you’ve gathered some testimonials, it’s important to showcase them prominently on your website and social media profiles.
How Often Should You Ask for Testimonials?
Collecting testimonials should be an ongoing process, not just something you do once when you get started in the business. At a minimum, ask clients for candid feedback at key milestones during their real estate journey with you: after the close of the transaction, six months after closing, and one year after closing. However, if possible, it’s best to communicate with customers on a regular basis, so they have opportunities throughout the year to give their opinions about your services.
Tips for Getting Clients to Provide Feedback
Since collecting testimonials is an ongoing process that requires regular attention, it’s important to make sure you’re not taking all of the responsibility for getting feedback. The most loyal clients will appreciate your efforts and be more likely to provide testimonials without too much nudging on your part. To encourage clients to provide their honest opinions, try asking them one or more of the following questions:
- What do you think is one of my best qualities as an agent?
- What do you think is one thing that I could improve about my services?
- What are some things that I’ve done that have helped you during our real estate relationship?
- What do you think was the most challenging thing about our relationship?
- If you could sum up your experience with me in one sentence, what would it be?
You might also ask them to share the story of how they came to find their current home, describe what it was like working with you, and how you helped them reach their real estate goals.
What to Do with Testimonials Once You Get Them
Once you’ve received testimonials from clients, it’s crucial that you do more than just post them on your website. You should also keep them in a safe place so if there’s ever an issue with your website or other marketing materials, the testimonials can be rapidly replaced.
You shouldn’t exaggerate or mislead when using testimonials on your website or in other marketing materials. Testimonials are meant to highlight real experiences from previous customers who have given their honest opinions about the quality of service they received. Fudging these details is unethical and could cost you potential clients.
Aside from publishing testimonials on your website, you can include one at the bottom of your outgoing emails, promote them in newsletters, and share them on social media platforms.
How to Display Testimonials on Your Website
There are several different ways to display testimonials on your website. Using a widget allows you to easily share them across all of your marketing materials and include an option for visitors to submit new ones.
A slide show that contains customer photos is another space-effective way to highlight how genuine testimonials can be about highlighting the quality of service.
You could also use testimonials as part of your About page or have pages dedicated specifically to them if they’re available in large quantities.
If you have landing pages, include testimonials there, too.
Examples of Real Estate Agent Testimonials
What should you look for in an agent testimonial? They’re usually only a paragraph long and feature key points about the agent’s character. Here are some examples of what a real estate agent testimonial might look like:
“Neil came highly recommended by both family and friends who had worked with him in the past. We were extremely pleased with his service and found him to always go above and beyond our expectations.”
“Getting to know Neil’s work ethic was one of my favorite parts about working with him. He is incredibly dedicated and passionate about helping people find their dream home, without ever pushing them into something they’re not interested in.”
“Neil is a personable guy who does his best to understand what you’re looking for from your real estate services in addition to selling a home. He’s always in communication and knows how important customer service is when it comes down to making a purchase.”
“Neil was incredibly patient and understanding with us throughout the entire search process. He helped us to narrow down exactly what we were looking for in a home and make sure we found something that fit our budget and style.”
Responding to Positive Testimonials
It’s important to respond to positive testimonials, thanking your client for taking the time and energy to share their opinions about your services. Letting your clients know that you appreciate their feedback can go a long way in strengthening the relationship you have with them.
Here are some examples of ways you can respond to a positive review:
“Thank you so much for the kind words; we’re glad to have been able to help you find your dream home!”
“We appreciate your feedback and are honored to have been able to work with you.”
“It was a pleasure working with you, and I’m glad you had a positive experience. We’ll definitely pass on your compliments to the rest of our team.”
“Thank you for the great review; we’re so happy you enjoyed your experience with us!”
“Thank you for the feedback; it makes our day to hear that we were able to help. We hope you’ll stay in touch and let us know if there’s anything else we can do for you.”
“We’re glad to hear you had a great experience working with us. Thank you for the positive review; it means a lot to us!”
“We’re happy to hear that you had a great experience with us. Thank you for the positive review and kind words.”
How to Respond to a Negative Testimonial
While it’s important to be aware of the ways in which you can please clients, it’s also necessary to be prepared for negative testimonials. It might seem counterintuitive but responding to a bad review is actually extremely beneficial because it lets potential customers know that their voice matters and that you are quick to address any problems.
While it might be tempting to delete one-star reviews from your website, doing so is actually more harmful than leaving them up because it could lead people to think that you’re trying to cover something up. Instead of removing the review, select the response option that allows visitors to see both versions of the story.
Here are some examples of ways you could respond to a negative testimonial.
While you should always aim to please your clients, there might be times when they’re not entirely satisfied with your services. In these cases, it’s important to have a response strategy in place that allows you to show potential customers that you’re listening and willing to make things right.
“I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t have a great experience with me as your real estate agent. If you’d like to discuss the situation further, please feel free to call my office, and we’ll do our best to rectify the situation.”
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’re sorry that you didn’t feel that your needs were taken into consideration when you worked with us. We would love to hear more about what went wrong and see if there’s anything we can do to make it right.”
“We’re sorry that you didn’t receive the level of service that you expected from us. Can you tell me more about what happened during your interactions with us? We want to make sure that we’re providing the best possible experience for all of our clients.”
“Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry that you didn’t feel that we delivered on our promises to you. Can you tell me more about what we failed to do? We want to make sure that we’re doing everything possible to meet the needs of our clients.”
“Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that you had a negative experience working with us. We would love to hear more about what went wrong and see if there’s anything we can do to make it right.”
“Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry that you didn’t have a great experience working with us. If you’d like to discuss the situation further, please feel free to call our office, and we’ll do our best to rectify the situation.”
Conclusion
Real estate agent testimonials can play a huge role in your success as an agent. Clients often look to reviews and testimonials before choosing an agent, so it’s important to make sure you have a good selection of them on your website. You should also make sure to collect testimonials from your clients regularly and ask them to provide feedback about your services. If you receive a negative review, make sure to respond promptly and professionally. By doing so, you’ll show potential customers that you’re willing to address any problems and that you care about providing a great experience for them.