{"id":3141,"date":"2020-01-08T08:42:08","date_gmt":"2020-01-08T15:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/estatesales.org\/university\/?p=3141"},"modified":"2020-01-08T08:46:43","modified_gmt":"2020-01-08T15:46:43","slug":"estate-sale-company-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estatesales.org\/university\/estate-sale-company-reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to Managing Estate Sale Company Reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"

As online reviews increase in popularity, your estate sale company’s reviews have a ripple effect that can determines your company\u2019s reputation and continuity in the industry.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to find online negative reviews for estate sale companies.\u00a0 While we all try to focus on the positive side of things, it\u2019s important to address why this happens, and what your estate sale business can do about it.<\/p>\n

Business Reviews and Reputation<\/h2>\n

In an unregulated industry such as estate sales, word-of-mouth references are extremely important.\u00a0 Online reviews are exactly that, but they are online for everyone to see including potential clients looking to hire an estate sale company.<\/p>\n

Estate sale business reviews<\/a> online only tell one side of the story, therefore it\u2019s important to understand the dynamic of estate sales and all the people involved in the process before making a final decision when selecting an estate sale professional.<\/p>\n

About the Estate Sale Business<\/h2>\n

As an estate sale professional, you work with many people.\u00a0 Referring sources such as real estate agents, funeral homes, attorneys, and direct clients.<\/p>\n

You serve the public by selling items to shoppers that frequent your estate sales.\u00a0 Some shoppers are consistent<\/a>, but on any given day, depending on the area they\u2019re in, you will get new shoppers from the neighboring areas.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not rare to have upset neighbors when an estate sale is held.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s the amount of traffic in the area an estate sale creates, cars blocking driveways, or upsetting neighbors while they\u2019re waiting to enter an estate sale.<\/p>\n

Angry family members are also part of the mix.\u00a0 After the death of a loved one, there are many family feuds that occur<\/a>.\u00a0 If one family member holds the sale, and another is upset, they can retaliate by leaving an estate sale business review that affects your company\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n

As an estate sale professional<\/a> , you have many people to satisfy, and while many do their best to keep everyone happy, it\u2019s virtually impossible to satisfy all the people involved at all times.<\/p>\n

Common Estate Sale Company Reviews<\/h2>\n

Experienced estate sale professionals will rarely have negative reviews from clients they held a sale for, but even some of the best companies out there will get a review from a dissatisfied shopper.<\/p>\n

The most common estate sale negative reviews you\u2019ll see will involve pricing.\u00a0 Estate sale shoppers are quite competitive<\/a>, and always looking for the best deal.\u00a0 Emotions run high if they don\u2019t get what they want, at the price they expect to pay.\u00a0 They often will take to online reviews and bash the company\u2019s reputation and experience in pricing items.<\/p>\n

Managing Estate Sale Online Reviews<\/h2>\n

Reviews are considered valuable when they are honest.\u00a0 As a business owner, you shouldn\u2019t offer an incentive in exchange for a review.<\/p>\n

There are many platforms that allow the public to leave reviews.\u00a0 Each platform has different guidelines and rules that must be followed, but almost all platforms will allow an estate sale company to respond.<\/p>\n

Popular Online Review Sites<\/h2>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

Google Business Reviews<\/h3>\n

Estate sale business reviews left on Google do provide valuable information about your business to potential customers.\u00a0 These reviews show up near your listing on Google maps<\/a> and when people search for your services in the local area.\u00a0 You can help, by increasing your positive reviews on Google.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a no-brainer.\u00a0 People will turn to Google first when they need help finding an estate sale company in the local area.\u00a0 Getting reviews on Google will boost your search result rankings and with good reviews, it will send customers straight to you.<\/p>\n

Make sure you have a verified business listing with Google<\/a>.\u00a0 Only verified businesses can manage and reply to reviews.<\/p>\n

Remind clients, referring sources, and customers to leave reviews on Google for you.\u00a0 Once you have a verified listing, you can create a short URL to share in emails, text messages, or add it as a link to your website.<\/p>\n

When a review is left, you’ll receive a notification.\u00a0 Keep your listing updated, and always respond to the reviews, whether it\u2019s positive or negative.<\/p>\n

If a review violates Google policies<\/a> such as abusive, threatening, use bad language, and many other reasons.\u00a0 You can quickly flag it for removal.<\/p>\n

Google partners with many other review sites.\u00a0 They will grab your rating from Facebook, Yelp, Manta, and other listing sites to display on your Google Business Listing, so make sure your rating remains positive across the web.\u00a0 You can easily do this by increasing the number of positive reviews you get.<\/p>\n

Facebook Business Reviews<\/h3>\n

\"business<\/p>\n

Facebook reviews<\/a> are also important and quite popular.\u00a0 Not everyone has a Google account to leave a review on a Google business listing, but almost everyone has a Facebook account making it quick and easy to leave a rating and a descriptive review about their experience.<\/p>\n

Always respond to reviews, whether they\u2019re positive or not.\u00a0 Do it as quickly as possible, so potential readers can get both sides of the story.<\/p>\n

If you receive a disrespectful, negative or spam review, you can\u2019t simply delete it.\u00a0 You can, however, report it, and if it doesn\u2019t adhere to Facebook\u2019s community standards, the Facebook team will remove it.<\/p>\n

To report a review, simply go to the review and click on the menu arrow (top right-hand corner), click on \u201creport post\u201d, and follow Facebook\u2019s instructions.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t want Facebook business reviews on?\u00a0 No problem.\u00a0 Luckily Facebook has allowed businesses to enable or disable the reviews tab from their business page.\u00a0 You can turn it on or off whenever you like.<\/p>\n

How to Enable or Disable Reviews on Your Facebook Business Page:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Go to your Facebook business page.<\/li>\n
  2. Click \u201cSettings\u201d at the top of your Page.<\/li>\n
  3. Go to \u201cEdit Page\u201d in the left column.<\/li>\n
  4. Scroll down to the \u201cReviews\u201d tab.<\/li>\n
  5. Click \u201cSettings\u201d next to the Reviews Section.<\/li>\n
  6. Move the slider from On to Off or vice versa.<\/li>\n
  7. Click \u201cSave\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Online reviews aren\u2019t always verified or fair and as an estate sale business owner<\/a>, your only defense is to respond and increase positive reviews by requesting them from customers.<\/p>\n

    If you choose to disable the reviews feature from your Facebook Business page, users can no longer see the reviews tab to leave, or read reviews, but they can still leave you a review on other platforms such as Google or Yelp.<\/p>\n

    Yelp Reviews<\/h3>\n

    \"yelp<\/p>\n

    Google business will also grab your rating from yelp and display it near your listing when people search for your services in the local area.<\/p>\n

    You can add, edit or manage your listing information and reviews from the Yelp for Business Owners<\/a> platform.<\/p>\n

    One of the biggest frustrations among businesses is yelp reviews.\u00a0 Like all platforms, you can respond to reviews, report spam or disrespectful reviews, but that\u2019s not where the source of frustration comes from.<\/p>\n

    Yelp is the only platform that uses a filter.\u00a0 Companies get frustrated because on many occasions a valid positive review is hidden, while a negative one is displayed.\u00a0 It\u2019s a filter that uses various checks and balances to decide whether a review is displayed or hidden, and there isn\u2019t anything that can be done about it.<\/p>\n

    Whether you like yelp or not, it\u2019s one of the most popular review sites out there.\u00a0 The Yelp reviewers are notorious for being difficult to please.\u00a0 While it\u2019s a great idea to ask for reviews, I would direct clients to Google and Facebook before I would send them to yelp.<\/p>\n

    Best methods to follow with yelp is the same as the others, always show your professional side by responding to positive reviews, and telling your side of the story or apologizing by responding to negative reviews.<\/p>\n

    EstateSales.org Reviews<\/h2>\n

    Registered estate sale companies<\/a> on EstateSales.org have the ability to manually add reviews directly to their profile page through their account settings area under the “Testimonials” subsection.\u00a0 These differ from other platforms such as Yelp, Google and Facebook, because they’re not entered by the consumer. After you complete an estate sale, ask your client to provide you with a written testimonial (a simple email or text message works great), and then simply copy and paste it into your\u00a0 testimonials section on EstateSales.org.<\/p>\n

    On EstateSales.org, we place you in full control of your testimonials because we realize that some people leave unfair or even completely fake negative reviews that can be damaging to your reputation.<\/p>\n

    Testimonials of your business on EstateSales.org are displayed prominently on your company’s profile page which is searchable via our website.<\/p>\n

    \"Example
    Estate sale company review example as seen on an EstateSales.org company profile page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Business Reviews Statistics<\/h2>\n

    Here are some statistics that highlight the importance of online reviews.\u00a0 These statistics should help drive your decision to increase your positive estate sale business reviews online.<\/p>\n