How I Have Achieved Near-Perfect Reviews
As the old adage states, “word of mouth is the best advertisement” – no matter your industry or field, if you can manage to leave such a lasting impact on your customers that they will recommend you to their friends, you are tapping into the most credible form of publicity available. With the internet becoming an increasingly important source of information for consumers looking for high quality services, however, online reviews have become a make-or-break aspect of any business’s image. Fortunately for me, over the years I have developed a loyal clientele that not only hires me for repeat events, but also has left me almost exclusively 5-star reviews on Google. Here are some tips as to how you too can capitalize on this free customer review strategy!
First and foremost, it is of the utmost importance that every single one of your clients feels like they are appreciated. Leaving a positive impact on your customers requires a genuine sense of enthusiasm to pull off. My father always told me that if “they hired you for 40 minutes, give them 45.” The best method for going above and beyond expectations can vary from industry to industry, but I have found that customizing shows (my product offering as an entertainer) is a great way to show your audience that you care – and is a great way to increase online reviews as a result.
In addition, providing bad logistics/back end service is the quickest way to lose peoples’ enthusiasm, their business, and their support. When a prospective client reaches out to me to book a show, I ensure that the process of scheduling and putting together the event is as easy as possible for them. This means taking care of setup and doing my best to engage everyone at the event – while it might be difficult to entertain children and older adults at the same time, I know for a fact that many of my repeat customers hire me back every year because of my efforts to keep everyone in attendance interested in what I have to offer. In addition to receiving their direct business, these same people are often the ones to leave me positive reviews on Google.
Third, staying humble and being eager to take every opportunity you can will result in both happier work days and more rewarding successes. Unsurprisingly, the more customers you book (within your reasonable time frame), the more likely you are to end up showered in positive google reviews. Even my smallest crowds know that they won’t catch me on an off day; after all, birthday parties are the backbone of my career! Throughout the 600 shows a year at which I perform, I am just as excited to work in front of the multi-thousand person audiences as I am the home events. In addition to being reliable in my bookings and performance, I also ensure that my first show of the day is just as energetic as the last. Given that I have often done 6 shows in a single day, this can certainly be difficult, but is undoubtedly necessary to keep people happy (and my calendar full of events as a result).
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, doing a good job for clients means enjoying that job. It might sound cheesy, but the phrase do what you love is overused for a reason; you simply cannot expect to be personable, prepared, and enthusiastic if you are not happy performing whatever service it is that you are paid for – whether you are a banker, teacher, or entertainer, it is simply easier to put the necessary hours in when you are looking forward to work each and every day. I certainly have not enjoyed the grueling hours of travel, multiple injuries, and behind-the-scenes operations planning that are necessary to put together an exciting performance, but the knowledge that I will be able to amaze people and make them laugh when the preparations are done makes the difficult moments 100% worth it. After working in the entertainment industry – one notorious for brutal work/life balance and competition – for multiple decades, I can honestly say that my love for illusions, performance, and people have made the many hours of back end work well worth it. At the end of the day, my customer review strategy comes naturally with my interest in what I do.
If you are interested in learning how to throw cards, pull off magic tricks, or crack jokes on stage, I would be more than happy to show you the ropes; private lessons might be exactly what you need to get started in the entertainment business! Feel free to reach out via email or phone to speak with me about setting up some instructional sessions or booking an event going forward.