Imagine this: it’s busy season. Your moving company is inundated with calls. Your sales team is going out and providing estimates, but the jobs just aren’t closing like they used to. Your sales team has performed fine in the past, so it’s not them. What gives?

You have to think about your customer’s buying process. They have just met you in the home. Sure, your salesman looked professional and presented your company well – that’s why you hired them. The customer doesn’t know you well, though, and they want to know more before they sign the contract. They are going to Google you. You should Google your brand name to see what they see. I’ll spoil it for you, they see your online reviews.

This is a touchy subject for many movers – if you don’t have a systematic review process in place, you probably don’t have many reviews. When you don’t have many reviews, a single angry rant on Yelp can leave an undesirable dent in your sales figures. The good news is that the numbers are on your side. Here’s why.

Many movers are surprised to learn that the strong majority of Yelp reviews are positive. There are different sorts of Yelp reviewers – most of them, according to the statistics, are kindhearted and are driven to review by positive experiences.A small percentage (15% of Yelp reviewers!) are driven to review by negative experiences.

Wondering where to request reviews other than Yelp? Check out our Top Review Sites Guide!

There are two important takeaways from this data: first, you absolutely cannot have one star on Yelp. Anyone who sees you with a 1- or a 2-star rating will not sit for an appointment. Why should they? 78% of movers on Yelp have a higher average rating, so they will go with any one of a number of your competitors.

The second important takeaway is this: most moving customers are positive people, with fully 44% leaving a perfect 5-star review. Again, the numbers are in your favor here. The more reviews you have, the better your average rating will be! So create a review system if you don’t have one already. After a month or two, you can turn a negative Yelp profile into a positive sales asset, with just a little bit of planning and the right software partner.

Looking for ways to boost your Yelp score? Check out our comprehensive Yelp guide below!