Don't overlook the power of Google reviews

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Busy season is tough, but it has its upside. This is when you're talking most frequently with your clients, especially those with straightforward, fast-turnaround returns. It's a great time to leverage these interactions to gather positive feedback from your clients.

If you don't think clients and prospective clients are checking out your Google reviews, think again. 

Research shows three-quarters (77%) of accounting clients would consider leaving their existing firm if another one was recommended to them. Further, three in five clients (60%) conduct online searches as part of their research when vetting potential providers. In fact, two in five clients (38%) who have experienced a service issue with their accounting firm left a negative review on a public website like Yelp or Google. In today's low-trust digital world, negative reviews have almost two times the impact as positive ones, the researchers concluded.

Can you afford to take that risk?

Fortunately, there's an easy solution. This is the time of year when you'll have lots of clients appreciating your work. Why not ask them for a Google review when their experience with you is fresh in their minds?

I bring this up because it's also the time of year when you might be getting some negative Google reviews due to some kind of misunderstanding. Positive reviews will buffer your rating against the negative reviews. Even better, a five-star review is a five-star review. It doesn't matter if it comes from a simple 1040 client or from a complex client with multiple businesses and a complex family situation. They all carry the same weight.

But you want to make the review, "ask" now, because you're not likely to be speaking with many clients for the rest of the year. The more time that goes by, the less likely they'll remember the great work you did. For more about why immediacy is so important, see my recent articles: Don't succumb to the forgetting curve this tax season and The power of immediate feedback.

Just because you have a bunch of five-star reviews doesn't mean you'll get more business. But it certainly helps lock the back door. If you start racking up negative reviews, clients and prospects notice and will move on. It's the  same way when I'm referred to a physician or auto-body shop. I immediately look them up, and if their Google stars don't look good, I'll look for other options.

How to ask for a Google review

Immediately after filing a client's tax return, have a staff person reach out and ask: "How was everything? Was there anything we could have done better?" If they say everything went great, then respond: "Thank you. Would you be willing to leave us a Google review? I can show you how to do it in five minutes if you're not familiar with Google reviews." 

Some of you may argue that you don't have enough capacity to have staff spending 10 to 15 minutes with every single satisfied client — especially when they're already exhausted from the busy season. But I would argue that your firm is not built properly if you can't devote 10 to 15 minutes of staff time per client to obtain something so valuable to your firm's success and bottom line. 

How clients of all ages can post Google reviews

Another objection I hear from firm owners all the time is that their clients are older and don't know how to leave Google reviews and/or they don't have a Gmail account, which is required in order to post Google reviews.

Don't let that be a roadblock. Here's a handy three-minute video tutorial you can send to clients about how to leave a Google review without a Gmail account. After sending the video, have your staff person follow up and tell the client: "I'm happy to walk you through it."

If you send the email to 100 clients who have had good experiences with you and 10% respond, that's 10 more supportive reviews than you had before. They will likely move your average rating in the right direction. It's pretty low-hanging fruit.

Each review is an opportunity to demonstrate your firm's value and build trust with potential clients. Don't leave your online reputation to chance. What is your firm doing to obtain more client reviews? I'd love to hear more.