And the Reviews Are In...

Do you let total strangers influence your purchase decisions? The consumer buying process has changed. At least it has for me, how about you? When searching for products, research is important. Part of that research for me is customer reviews. Maybe it’s silly, maybe it’s normal, but I let perfect strangers influence my buying decisions.

If there are one or two negative reviews on a product – no big deal, but if there are a lot of negative reviews, I find myself moving on to another product. I start with the one-star reviews and work my way up.

I don’t think I’m alone...

As marketing professionals, these reviews provide a few great opportunities in our sales process:

Negative reviews can be a great icebreaker when making prospect calls: “I noticed you had some negative reviews on Google, I’d like to share with you what we’ve done for others” (Often times retailers are unaware)

Reviews, both positive and negative, can give you an idea of what the brand identity of a business is (Is this the identity they want?)

Reading reviews can help you formulate thoughtful questions for your customer needs analysis

Because reviews are becoming more influential in the buying process, you can use them as copy points, customer testimonials and validation of the strength of a business

Try Googling the name of a prospect or client you’re calling on, click on the name and read the customer reviews. You might be surprised by the great opportunities you find.