Flattering First Impressions

No matter the size of a company or its marketing budget, one tool can level the playing field: testimonials. They offer a chance to put your best foot forward by inviting customers to provide feedback about your business practices, products and services. And perhaps the best part about them — they’re free. 

“The customers are the kings and queens; we don’t have a business without them,” says Austin Gardiner, CEO of GL Pools in San Diego, California. “[Testimonials] are extremely important because without feedback, we don’t really know what our product or team is accomplishing from a homeowner’s perspective.”

Make testimonials easy to capture and view

Using the PulseM app helped Tina George’s America’s Swimming Pool Company franchise in Schertz, Texas, gain recognition for achieving the most increased reviews within the franchise. More importantly, it dramatically boosted visibility in their market.

“We want the public to hear what people are saying about us,” says George, a pool service provider since 2018. 

The app lets the company gather customer feedback about a technician’s service and then encourages the customer to leave a review on Google or social media through a direct link. George emphasizes that using testimonials alongside social media is “huge” and shouldn’t be done haphazardly.

“There are people who don’t go anywhere or do anything until they search [online] for the best company,” she says. She adds that using these platforms gives businesses a voice in their communities. By offering customers an easy way to share their opinions through an app, you’re putting the power at their fingertips.

Once you earn positive reviews, make them visible to potential customers. Many will be found on social media or Google, but you can also showcase them on your website or even in-store. 

“We have reviews right underneath the gallery on our homepage,” says Jordan Demeter, co-owner and CEO of Spartan Pool & Patio in Norman, Oklahoma. “We also drive a lot of our marketing through our Google page, which has the most reviews and a high rating. We want people to see that and have confidence before they call us.” 

Gardiner says GL Pools highlights testimonials on its website and incorporates them into printed materials.

“We leave prospective clients with printed materials, and those do some storytelling about real clients who have been in their shoes, made the choice to go with us and were happy that they did,” he says.

Address negative reviews honestly

Negative reviews are not ideal, but they are inevitable. In some cases, such as Nilson Silva’s experience with a competitor who purposely created a negative review, they are even fabricated. Silva, the owner of Master Touch Outdoor Living, says no matter the circumstances, honesty is key. 

“I believe in being real 100%,” he says. “Every story has two sides, so try to be as transparent as possible.” 

Handling a situation properly and professionally not only matters to the customer who is dissatisfied but also to the audience who might be following along, Gardiner says. He adds that humanizing a business by admitting fault when necessary, instead of responding aggressively or deflecting, goes a long way in the court of public opinion. 

“We want to build a company that has legacy clients, so any bit of feedback, even if it’s wrapped up in a misunderstanding, still helps us improve,” he says.

Build relationships backed by quality work

While there will always be people who can’t be satisfied, most just want a trusted partner to care for their pool, says James Inglis, a service technician at Spartan Pool & Patio. 

“It’s important to view a customer relationship as relational, not transactional,” he says. “A pool owner will inevitably have issues, creating opportunities for repeat business. If you can establish rapport with customers and make them feel like a human being instead of a number, they’ll trust you more.”

While building trust and seeking positive feedback, don’t overlook a key factor — quality workmanship.

“You can’t expect a customer to leave you a good review if you do poor work,” Inglis says. 

Gardiner notes that many businesses focus on collecting testimonials before they’ve earned them.

“Testimonials are step two,” he says. “Step one is to make some real people happy.”

Don’t be afraid to ask 

Inglis makes it a point to ask customers for reviews as a “personal favor” to him. 

“I find more success with making it a personal request,” he says. “If I’m building rapport with the customer and they’ve had a good experience with me, they may be more inclined to help someone who has gone out of their way to meet whatever needs they have.” 

Spartan uses the Podium app to send review links directly to customers, simplifying the process and boosting completed reviews. Like many companies, Spartan’s owners established an incentive program for service technicians who receive favorable testimonials. 

Demeter says the program was created to recognize employees for a job well done. Known as the five-star challenge, technicians are encouraged to seek customer testimonials and are awarded $5 for every five-star review they receive. Additional incentives are awarded to the top three winners, who are announced at the company’s monthly meeting. 

While incentives can encourage employees to gather customer reviews, Inglis explains that they aren’t the primary motivator.

“My motivation is promoting the company, which leads to more business and is a win for everyone involved,” he says. “Even if they weren’t going to buy more equipment, or they didn’t have some catastrophic issue [to solve], maybe they’d be more likely to come into the store or get an estimate on replastering, remodeling or building a new pool.”

Demeter adds the testimonials not only speak to the quality of the company but also to individual technicians who are mentioned in reviews. 

“We’ll get customers who specifically request technicians that they’ve seen get a lot of really high reviews, and they’ll say, ‘Hey, is there any way that James could be the one who comes and works on my equipment?’ ” Demeter says. 

At Master Touch, Silva says he also has an incentive system with bonuses given to those who get video testimonials. 

Branding and an online presence that includes testimonials are a winning combination in generating new business and bringing customers back, he says. 

“If you’re spending the right amount of money on advertising and you have good reviews, you’re likely to get more calls,” Silva says. “It’s that simple.”