How To Collect More TripAdvisor Reviews

Ryan’s back once again (with the Renegade Master?) with yet another lesson from the Caribbean.

So it transpires that TripAdvisor is just as prevalent in the Caribbean as are mosquitos, beaming white smiles and rum (there is also a slim chance the last two are related).   In one restaurant, however, we met one gentleman who was a machine at collection TripAdvisor reviews.   If you’re not getting enough reviews for your business then you need to read this!   He seriously could have written…

The TripAdvisor Review Masterclass

TripAdvisor is everywhere.

Literally.

Even in this fairly quiet corner of the Caribbean.

The funny thing is though, the local businesses are all over it.

Like it’s the next big thing.

Which, perhaps, it is.

I have probably been asked more times in the last week if I would leave a TripAdvisor review for someone than I have in the last twelve months back in the UK.

But that probably says as much about the UK as it does the Caribbean.

Here’s why I think that might be…

• The people of the Caribbean are hungry when it comes to sales.   The people of the UK are very often lazy.  Why ask if you don’t have to, eh?
• The sales assistants of the Caribbean are almost certainly incentivised to ask for and encourage reviews.   They must be as they are relentless in their pursuit for them!

So here is a Ramon.

He’s a waiter at Monserrat Manor, the number one ranked restaurant in the whole area according to TripAdvisor.

You can see for yourself here if you like.

Terrible picture, great waiter

Now Ramon has a rather slick approach to collecting TripAdvisor reviews.

It wasn’t unique to him either, we had a few others use the same – mightily effective – approach too.

How Ramon Is Killing It On TripAdvisor

Here’s the short version of how Ramon was getting so many wonderful reviews for his restaurant.

And by wonderful I mean 99% are of the five star variety.

Just take a moment to consider the sort of positioning that gives his restaurant.

And the sort of car it probably bought for the restaurant owner!

Here’s how we was doing it, perhaps you could apply the same to your business…

1. Give excellent, attentive service throughout (duh!)
2. At the end, ensure the client is happy – if they aren’t put it right first
3. Ask for the review
4. Explain how reviews are very important to the business and also to you personally.  Because you care.
5. Ask for a personal mention in the review
6. Ask if they have their phone with them and wouldn’t mind doing it right here, right now as you finish your wine!

Now, number six may be especially scary to you and I would agree that with our stiff upper lip and stereotypical British reservations this may be a stretch too far for you.

But there is no reason why you can’t do the other five!

It really makes so much sense when you look at it, and it was delivered in a very slick manner too.   Let’s look at the other five which you can, should and hopefully will start to do in your business…

1. You already give great service, I am sure.
2. You should already check your client is happy there and then and look to fix it whilst they are in front of you if they are not.
3. This is the same as asking for the sale when you’re selling products.  I would bet a long of money that the people who get the most reviews also sell the most products.  Because they ask for the sale.  Pull up your big girl pants and just straight out ask them when they’ve stood in front of you.
4. Here’s the first kicker.  Countless studies have shown that people are more likely to do something for you when there is a good reason.  Just by using the word ‘because’ in your sentence will dramatically increase your conversions here.  Tell them you need them and give a compelling reason why they should.
5. Here’s the second kicker.  Get them to mention your name or the therapists name and if you’ve multiple members of staff then it’s competition time.   Find out who can get the most mentions in TripAdvisor reviews and give out a prize.   TripAdvisor reviews are worth their weight in gold.  Especially good ones!

Now this is clearly working great for this restaurant; we went there solely from the TripAdvisor review and despite being outrageously expensive (the bottle of wine Ramon is holding in the photo was over $50 – the same bottle is £6 in our local Tesco!) was still packing them in.

It’s worth noting at this point that the same principles can be applied to Google reviews.

Or TrustPilot.

Or whatever system your business uses to collect reviews.

Just have a system, teach it to your staff and relentlessly get them to apply it.  Every time.

See if you can better Ramon.

At the time of writing his restaurant had 164 reviews.    54 mentioned Ramon by name.   All of those 54 received five stars.

Now that’s a system for getting reviews.

Ryan

Hope you’ve been enjoying my series of Caribbean blogs.   One more to come next week about another incredible salesman we encountered!

If you’ve missed any then you can read about our trip to the casino here, about good habits versus bad habits here and the two things you’ll never have together here.