I realised the other day that I now have 145 Google reviews – and every one is five stars! That is an almost 50% increase over the past two years.
So how did I do it?
Obviously, you need to ensure your clients are so thoroughly delighted they want to leave you a good review. I believe in “excellence in all ways”: exceeding expectations, anticipating needs and constantly looking for ways to give my clients stellar service.
But this alone is not enough. You also need a system to request reviews.
At the end of every assignment, once the work has been successfully completed, I personally send a follow-up message thanking the client and inviting them to leave feedback via a direct link to my Google page.
Because interpreting and translation are so personal and relationship-based, clients are usually genuinely happy to write a review, particularly after high-pressure interpreting assignments where they’ve felt well supported throughout.
I try to make the process as easy and natural as possible. A warm personal message tends to generate more authentic and detailed testimonials than a generic, automated request.
Reviews are wonderful for marketing, of course. They help potential clients trust me before we’ve even spoken. But they are also a source of motivation. On difficult days, reading kind words from clients reminds me why I do this work.