Every One of Your Reviews Is a Conversation Between Two Strangers

Percolate on this for just a moment.

Right now, someone you haven't met is having a chat with a few of your former customers.

They don't know each other and they've actually never spoken before.

But right now, you are definitely the topic of discussion.

That is essentially what a review really is.

You could think of it as simply feedback on your service.

But it might be more useful to think of it as two people having a random conversation...

...about you.

You're Not the One Doing the Selling

Most Independents spend a lot of time thinking about what they should say online.

What should go on the website?

What should I post on Facebook?

How do I explain what makes me different?

Those things matter.

But when someone is getting serious about choosing who they're going to work with, something interesting happens.

They stop listening to you for a minute.

They start listening to your customers.

Not because they don't believe you.

Because they want another opinion.

They want to hear from someone who's already been where they're about to go.

They're Looking for Someone Like Them

People don't read reviews just because they're curious.

They read reviews because they're looking for someone who had the with the same problem or concern they have now.

They're looking for someone who had the same point of view they have now.

If they find a review that starts with something like...

"I wasn't sure..."

Or...

"I had been putting this off for months..."

Or...

"I was nervous because..."

Suddenly it doesn't feel like they're reading a review anymore.

It feels like they're listening to someone who gets them.

Every Customer Tells a Different Part of the Story

People tend to talk about what stands out to them. One customer talks about how easy it was to schedule.

Another talks about how patient you were. Someone else may talk about how special it felt that you followed up afterward.

None of them are trying to sell your business.

They're just telling people what happened with them.

But when you stack enough of those stories together, it's kind of like painting a picture.

Future customers begin thinking...

"These people communicate."

"They seem to care."

"This feels like the kind of place I'd be comfortable going."

Nobody told them to think that.

They came to that conclusion on their own.

That's powerful.

Then You Get to Join the Conversation

Here's the part I think a lot of Independents miss out on.

The conversation doesn't end when the customer clicks Submit.

You should always plan to have the last word in any conversation about your business.

Every time you respond to a review, you're joining that conversation.

Yes, you're thanking the person who left it.

But you're also talking to everyone who reads it later.

You're showing people that you pay attention.

That you're grateful.

That there's a real person behind the business.

Your response becomes part of the story.

Even the Tough Conversations Matter

I get it. Nobody likes getting a bad review.

But if you thin about it, there's no such thing as a bad review. You may have an unhappy former customer, but the review itself is another opportunity for you to shape the narrative.

Your future customers want to see how you handle things when they don't go perfectly.

Do you stay professional? Do you take responsibility when it's yours to take? Do you try to make things right?

Anyone can look like a superstar when things are going smoothly.

But true professionals shine when adversity shows up.

That's part of your story too.

Your Reputation Is a Collection of Conversations

Here's the way I think about it.

Your reputation isn't something you write.

It's something your customers write together.

One conversation at a time.

You don't get to decide what they say.

But you do get to decide what kind of experience they're talking about.

And you get to decide whether you'll be part of the conversation afterward.

The next time you get a review, don't think of it as feedback.

Think of it as one customer pulling up a chair next to another customer and saying...

"Let me tell you what it was like."

Because that's exactly what's happening.