Going back for the reviews you never asked for

If your company has been doing this for years and has a handful of reviews, there is a list of happy customers sitting in your files who were never asked. This is the fastest reputation fix available to you.

Who to ask

Go back two years, no further. Start with the jobs you remember going well and the customers you liked.

Skip anyone there was friction with. You are not trying to fix old relationships here.

The text, sent from your phone

Hi [name], the owner from your company. Hope the pond is still treating you well.

I am a bit embarrassed to ask this late, but would you mind leaving us a Google review? We never got into the habit of asking and it is the main way people find us now.

Here is the link: [your review link]

If you can mention the [feature type] and that you are in [town], that really helps.

Thanks either way.

Why admitting it works

"I am a bit embarrassed to ask this late" is honest and it lands well. It also explains why they are hearing from you about a job from last year.

Pace it

Five to ten a week, not fifty in a day. A sudden burst of reviews on an account with almost none looks exactly like what it looks like.

Spread over two months you end up with a steady, believable history, and by then you should have the water on habit going so it never happens again.

Follow up once, then stop

One reminder after a week if there is no response. Never a second one. These are people who paid you and liked you, and that is worth more than a review.