Auto Repair Shop Owners: Why Aren't You Getting Reviews?

by Rick White, President 180BIZ                                                                 (Estimated Read Time 3 minutes)

In this episode, I’ll talk to you about reviews. We all want client reviews, don't we? But why are your reviews so anemic? Most of the time reviews are an afterthought. So, let’s talk about some of the reasons why you don't get the reviews that you could and should be getting right now.

1. YOU DON'T CARE

 You're not thinking about your reviews. They are a pain in the butt. You don't really want to know what people are thinking. You'd be amazed at how many shop owners feel that way. Ignorance is bliss, right? Well, sometimes it is, and sometimes it's not.

2. YOU HAVE NO PLAN

You want reviews but keep forgetting.  Or it's just a pain in the neck. Or you don’t get to it. You need a plan. And that's what I’ll talk about in the next few episodes. Reviews are super important. Eighty percent of people out there look at reviews before they do business with someone.

3. YOU DON'T ASK

You don’t get reviews because you’re not asking for them. You need to ask for that review or referral regularly. And that is, that is a big issue.

Reviews are an afterthought. You need reviews. Are they everything? Will they fix your business? Are they a silver bullet? No, but they are important. People want proof. When you say something about yourself, you're bragging, but when someone else says it about you, it's proof. You want that social proof.

4. IT'S TRANSACTIONAL

Doing business with you feels transactional. Please understand, you'll never, ever get a review for fixing the car. Not unless it's been to 10 other shops and no one else could fix it. That makes you above and beyond. People aren't going to give you a review for what they feel like they're paying for. That's just business. That doesn't deserve someone taking time out of their busy, hectic, crazy, chaotic day to write something telling people about their experience. They don't talk about their transactions. They talk about their experiences. You must go above and beyond. You must surprise people. You must create an experience that makes it easy for them to get their vehicles repaired. You must make them feel valued. Show that it's all about them. They must be the focal point of the entire interaction. That is when you’ll get more reviews.

These are the four things, and I want you to review over this coming week. Reviews help with your algorithms. There are so many cool things that reviews do, but why aren't you getting more reviews? Is it because you don't care? Is it because you don't have a plan? Is it because you're not asking, or is it because you're not making it special? Ask yourself these questions. Then you can determine how to make it better.

Please share this video if you think it will help somebody else. There are a lot of shops out there struggling right now because they don't have enough reviews, they don't have enough buzz, and that's what you need.

God bless, stay safe, have fun, and go make some money.

Want to learn more about transforming your business? CLICK HERE to get advice you can use to improve your shop, the day it lands in your inbox.