A 5* review isn’t a list of features - it’s about how your clients feel

To ease the ego-crush of last week’s 1* review exercise, this week is an opportunity to bask in the glory of writing your dream 5* review.

The key thing about this exercise, rather than just writing the opposite of what you wrote last week, is to really get into how you want someone to feel after working with you.

Without sounding overly dramatic, imagine them almost in tears of relief because you’ve solved a problem that’s been causing them sleepless nights for months, or you’ve treated them with care and attention in a way they’ve not received from other service providers. It needs to come from a place of genuine gratitude.

This is important, because it helps you tap into the emotional wins behind what your business offers.

An often-quoted marketing stat is that around 90 - 95% of purchase decisions are made subconsciously and emotionally.

This is where a lot of marketing messaging goes wrong, because it focuses on services, features and what you do, rather than how the person is going to feel afterwards.

Someone moved to write a glowing review is more likely to say: “As a woman living on my own, after a bad experience with a previous plumber, I’m always concerned about being patronised and overcharged. Pete responded promptly, never ghosted me and gave me a courtesy call the day before to confirm the appointment, which I really appreciated. I felt like he respected my home, kept me informed, and didn’t mind my inquisitive dog checking what was going on! He left the place immaculate and even followed up a week later to make sure there were no issues. It’s such a relief to know that I have a reliable plumber I can completely trust, and I’ll be recommending him to all my friends.” Rather than a list of features like this: “I wanted a professional Gas Safe registered plumber who undergoes regular training, offering boiler repairs, bathroom installations and highly effective plumbing solutions. He was prompt, friendly and reliable and used the latest leak-detection technology.” Hopefully, you can see the difference! Now take some time to write yours.

Bonus tip: If you don’t already, set up a simple follow-up process where people can leave you a Google review. It’ll help your business listing show up better in local searches, and you can also repurpose reviews on your website, socials or proposals.