Boosting Your RV Rental Business with Powerful Customer Reviews

Welcome to the RV Rental Secrets Podcast!  In today’s episode, we’re diving into a crucial topic—customer experience and reviews. I’m joined by my partner, and we’re ready to unpack the importance of delivering exceptional customer service in the RV rental industry.

Customer service is something I’ve always strived to excel at, and it’s a passion that drives the success of our business. From my early days in retail, where I learned the value of direct customer interaction, to now managing an RV rental business, I’ve always prioritized putting myself in the customer’s shoes. When customers are on vacation, they expect everything to go smoothly. When something goes wrong, it can be stressful for them. Our job is to listen, acknowledge their concerns, and provide solutions that help them feel heard and supported.

Responding quickly to customer inquiries is a simple yet powerful way to show you care. It’s easy to feel defensive when issues arise, worrying that acknowledging a problem might lead to demands for refunds or negative reviews. However, approaching these situations with empathy and understanding can turn a potentially negative experience into a positive one.

Education is another key component of customer service. Many renters may be new to RVing, especially those who turned to it during the COVID-19 pandemic. Setting the right expectations before the rental begins, and providing a thorough walkthrough of the RV’s features and quirks, can prevent misunderstandings down the road. By doing this, you help customers understand what to expect, making their experience more enjoyable and reducing the chances of dissatisfaction.

As we shift gears, let’s talk about the power of customer reviews. In the world of RV rentals, reviews can make or break your business. A strong presence on Google Maps, with numerous five-star reviews, is invaluable real estate. It’s often the first thing potential customers see when searching for RV rentals in their area. The more positive reviews you have, the more likely you are to stand out from the competition.

Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews. Whether it’s after a rental or even during the booking process, encourage your customers to share their experiences. Engaging with them on platforms like Facebook can also help build a community around your brand. Replying to reviews, thanking customers for their feedback, and addressing any issues they mention shows that you value their opinions and are committed to improving your service.

Incentivizing reviews can also be effective. Offering a small reward, like a discount on a future rental or a gift card, can encourage more customers to leave feedback. The key is to make the process as easy as possible for them.

Finally, remember that customer reviews are not just about attracting new clients; they also play a vital role in retaining your existing ones. When customers feel appreciated and see that their feedback is valued, they’re more likely to return year after year. Consistently delivering excellent customer service, combined with a proactive approach to gathering and responding to reviews, will help you build a loyal customer base and a thriving RV rental business.

Thank you for joining us on this episode of RV Rental Secrets Podcast. We hope these insights inspire you to elevate your customer service and review strategies, ultimately driving the success of your RV rental business.

Episode Transcript

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Welcome to the RV Rental Secrets Podcast.

(00:02):
.999I'm your host, Stacey Maxson, and I'm thrilled to guide you through the journey of launching, growing, and managing a profitable RV rental business. 3 00:00:09,330.9977324263 --> 00:00:14,180.997732426 Welcome back to another episode of RV Rental Secrets Podcast. 4 00:00:14,650.997732426 --> 00:00:16,850.996732426 I'm here with my partner, Stacy. 5 00:00:17,200.996732426 --> 00:00:22,730.996732426 And today we are going to talk about customer experience, customer reviews. 6 00:00:22,740.997732426 --> 00:00:24,800.997732426 Stacy, how you doing? Good. 7 00:00:24,980.997732426 --> 00:00:27,540.998232426 This is a hot topic of mine. 8 00:00:27,840.998232426 --> 00:00:32,910.997732426 I feel like customer service is something I strive to excel at. 9 00:00:32,910.997732426 --> 00:00:35,160.998232426 So I'm excited for this talk today. 10 00:00:35,160.998232426 --> 00:00:39,970.998232426 You know, Stacey, you are amazing at customer service and you do have that spirit of excellence. 11 00:00:40,40.998232426 --> 00:00:45,360.998232426 My wife, Tina, when we first met, she was a customer service manager. 12 00:00:45,360.998232426 --> 00:00:46,440.998232426 I don't know if you know that about her. 13 00:00:46,630.998232426 --> 00:00:58,270.998232426 She was a customer service manager at a bank and she literally had a position that required a bachelor's degree and she had no college degree, but she had such a spirit of excellence. 14 00:00:58,915.998232426 --> 00:01:04,935.998232426 And such a work ethic that she was in the position that required a college degree. 15 00:01:04,955.998232426 --> 00:01:06,715.997232426 I got, that kind of choked me up a little bit. 16 00:01:06,725.998232426 --> 00:01:08,145.998232426 I just, I'm so in love with my wife. 17 00:01:08,395.998232426 --> 00:01:09,135.998232426 She's so amazing. 18 00:01:09,355.998232426 --> 00:01:11,235.998232426 I was reading Proverbs 31 this morning. 19 00:01:11,235.998232426 --> 00:01:12,705.997232426 It talks about the virtuous woman. 20 00:01:12,705.998232426 --> 00:01:14,955.997232426 So like, I've been like thinking about my wife all morning. 21 00:01:14,955.998232426 --> 00:01:15,795.998232426 So, okay. 22 00:01:15,815.997232426 --> 00:01:18,845.998232426 Anyway, customer reviews, customer experiences. 23 00:01:18,905.998232426 --> 00:01:21,685.998232426 So Stacy, go ahead and share a couple of thoughts. 24 00:01:22,145.998232426 --> 00:01:28,425.998232426 Yeah, well, I mean, you mentioned, you know, your wife working in a bank and maybe that's where it's come from, because. 25 00:01:29,15.998232426 --> 00:01:32,495.998232426 When I started working, I was always in a retail environment. 26 00:01:32,515.998232426 --> 00:01:35,65.998232426 So I was always working directly with the customer. 27 00:01:35,355.998232426 --> 00:01:39,265.998232426 I kind of got my training from retail experience. 28 00:01:39,345.998232426 --> 00:01:43,245.99723243 So that's probably why it's always been at the forefront of my mind. 29 00:01:43,755.99723243 --> 00:01:49,175.99823243 And, I'm not going to lie, like customers can be challenging in the RV rental industry. 30 00:01:49,535.99823243 --> 00:01:52,775.99823243 But you kind of have to look at it from their point of view is. 31 00:01:53,180.99823243 --> 00:01:54,760.99823243 You know, they're on vacation. 32 00:01:54,980.99823243 --> 00:02:07,20.99923243 They wanted to get away from all the stress and when something goes wrong on their rental, it's really hard for them because they wanted to get away from all that and they just wanted a nice relaxing experience. 33 00:02:07,550.99923243 --> 00:02:16,190.99873243 So I'd say, first and foremost, put yourself in their shoes, how would you feel if you were on your vacation and something like that happened to you. 34 00:02:17,75.99873243 --> 00:02:24,885.99773243 So, make sure that you're listening to the customer acknowledging what their issues are and then try to help them. 35 00:02:25,375.99873243 --> 00:02:31,335.99773243 I think one of the first things that you can do is just, reply to all their messages. 36 00:02:31,840.99773243 --> 00:02:35,130.99773243 make sure that you're responding quickly. 37 00:02:35,230.99773243 --> 00:02:37,280.99773243 You know, that's part of the listening aspect. 38 00:02:37,310.99773243 --> 00:02:39,150.99773243 They want to make sure that they're being heard. 39 00:02:39,150.99773243 --> 00:02:40,410.99773243 Yeah, I totally agree. 40 00:02:40,910.99773243 --> 00:02:53,610.99973243 And that's a really good point as far as first acknowledging their frustration which a lot of times we immediately go to the defensive, like, Oh, if we acknowledge this, you know, then they're going to start asking for a big refund, or we're going to go down this long trail. 41 00:02:53,610.99973243 --> 00:02:56,191.00073243 And, and and it doesn't have to be like that. 42 00:02:56,241.00073243 --> 00:02:58,181.00073243 Like Stacey said, put yourself in their shoes. 43 00:02:58,531.00073243 --> 00:03:22,901.00073243 Acknowledge, you know, that there's an issue and two in, in your defense RV owner, RV rental operator or an owner that's listening to this RVs aren't built for heavy use and most of the renters don't understand, you know, that RVs break, that there's smells, that there's all these things that reminds me of a, we have a blog post called the smells of camping. 44 00:03:22,931.00073243 --> 00:03:26,151.00073243 It's not all s'mores and the great outdoors. 45 00:03:26,916.00073243 --> 00:03:37,526.00073243 And we wrote that like 2017, but I still remember it because, and it still goes out as one of our emails, because we get so many people that would reach out like, Oh my gosh, just, you know, it smells like poop in here. 46 00:03:37,526.00073243 --> 00:03:38,86.00073243 This is horrible. 47 00:03:38,86.00073243 --> 00:03:47,846.00073243 What's going on? And then you have to like educate them well, you know, make sure that kids aren't just standing there with their foot on the pedal, you know, letting the smells in and make sure this and that if you're driving an RV and make sure you. 48 00:03:48,281.00073243 --> 00:03:51,761.00073243 Have a little water sitting in the bowl, you know, to create that barrier and all. 49 00:03:52,331.00073243 --> 00:03:57,880.99973243 And so a lot of it is, is education, but yeah, so let me shift gears a little bit. 50 00:03:57,901.00073243 --> 00:04:05,91.00023243 I want to talk about well, no, sorry, before I shift gears, Stacy, anything else you want to talk about that? Well, you mentioned education. 51 00:04:05,91.00023243 --> 00:04:10,611.00073243 So I think that's you know, a good part of setting the customer expectation. 52 00:04:10,976.00073243 --> 00:04:24,15.99873243 You know, when you're doing that delivery in the walkthrough, educating them on how the RV works and what they can expect or maybe even before they rent, so they know whether RVing is going to be right for them or not. 53 00:04:24,365.99973243 --> 00:04:37,635.99973243 Because it's not for everyone and you want to make sure you're setting that expectation, so they don't have, a high expectation and you're not ever going to be able to meet that because the camper is just not capable of that experience. 54 00:04:37,645.99973243 --> 00:04:40,55.99973243 Thank you Yeah, that's definitely true. 55 00:04:40,55.99973243 --> 00:04:56,695.99873243 And you can even present that information kind of in a funny manner, you know, so you interview the customer and see if they've ever camped, you know, if they've, if they have experienced camping, then, you know, chances are it's going to be a lot easier of a customer, but if they haven't, like, especially during COVID. 56 00:04:57,355.99973243 --> 00:05:02,535.99973243 Man, we had so many people that rented RVs during COVID that had never camped. 57 00:05:02,535.99973243 --> 00:05:17,490.89973243 Like there were, there were people that were used to pretty nice vacations, traveling overseas, going on cruises, stuff like that, that now they're kind of RVing was their option and they had this expectation based on previous vacations. 58 00:05:17,970.99973243 --> 00:05:19,400.99973243 That was very hard to meet. 59 00:05:19,410.99973243 --> 00:05:26,90.99973243 You know, I mean, I remember we had renters simply show up, walk through the RV and say, yeah, I'm not, I'm not doing this. 60 00:05:26,110.99973243 --> 00:05:28,110.99973243 This thing is like shaking while I'm standing in it. 61 00:05:28,110.99973243 --> 00:05:29,80.99873243 This is so small. 62 00:05:29,80.99973243 --> 00:05:37,830.99873243 This is all the things, you know and, and so, yeah, setting those expectations and you can do it in a joking manner, you know as far as. 63 00:05:38,445.99873243 --> 00:05:48,615.99773243 You know, hey, now, you know, when the kids are, you know, running around the camper is going to shake a little bit, but I'm sure you already know that you can say it in like an assumptive manner, because people, people like to be right. 64 00:05:48,615.99873243 --> 00:05:49,285.99873243 So they're going to reply. 65 00:05:49,285.99873243 --> 00:05:50,385.99873243 Oh, yeah, I already knew that. 66 00:05:50,425.99873243 --> 00:05:51,635.99773243 Yeah, that's not a problem. 67 00:05:51,635.99873243 --> 00:05:55,555.99873243 Or, you know, these things aren't always 100 percent level, you know, based on your campsite and stuff. 68 00:05:55,845.99773243 --> 00:05:56,975.99873243 Oh, yeah, yeah, that's no problem. 69 00:05:56,985.99873243 --> 00:06:04,390.99873243 We want to, we want to be in the camper that much anyway, you know, which It's a funny thing, right? Most of the times you're not even in the camper unless it's raining or you're sleeping. 70 00:06:04,930.99873243 --> 00:06:12,450.99873243 So things like that, just little things you can do to build a rapport, set an expectation and, and set the stage. 71 00:06:12,830.99873243 --> 00:06:15,380.99873243 Yeah, so I know you said you were going to switch gears a little bit. 72 00:06:15,380.99873243 --> 00:06:20,580.99873243 I'm curious where were you going with that? Yeah, I want to talk about customer reviews. 73 00:06:20,580.99873243 --> 00:06:25,400.99823243 So customer reviews is something that's a passion of mine and has been for years and years and years. 74 00:06:25,400.99823243 --> 00:06:32,830.99873243 I can think back to my credit counseling company where literally I would get reviews from customers before I've even done anything for them. 75 00:06:33,460.99873243 --> 00:06:38,880.99773243 Like that was a huge Google Maps, Google, my Google Maps listings. 76 00:06:39,510.99873243 --> 00:06:41,290.99873243 Where that was where I got a lot of my business. 77 00:06:41,290.99873243 --> 00:06:42,580.99873243 People would Google the term. 78 00:06:42,580.99873243 --> 00:06:43,890.99873243 I would show up in the Google maps. 79 00:06:43,890.99873243 --> 00:06:48,970.99873243 Cause you know, cool thing about Google maps is it's right below the sponsored ads typically. 80 00:06:49,310.99773243 --> 00:06:57,400.99773243 So you see your Google RV rentals, my area, and then what do you see? You see RV share outdoorsy RVs, you know, one of the major platforms. 81 00:06:57,400.99773243 --> 00:07:00,380.99873243 And then right below that typically is your Google maps listing. 82 00:07:01,20.99873243 --> 00:07:10,350.99873243 So if you've got a Google maps listing that has 30, 40, 50, a hundred five star reviews, That's actually more prominent than the sponsored ad because it's got the stars next to it. 83 00:07:10,700.99873243 --> 00:07:12,30.99873243 It's a different color. 84 00:07:12,560.99873243 --> 00:07:14,750.99873243 Let me just, I want to just Google this real quick. 85 00:07:16,20.99873243 --> 00:07:17,960.99773243 It's got the stars next to it. 86 00:07:18,230.99873243 --> 00:07:25,930.99873243 The yellow gold stars, it's got the circle with the link to the website, you know, it just, it stands, it's got the hours of operation. 87 00:07:26,330.99873243 --> 00:07:27,530.99873243 It's got the map above it. 88 00:07:27,540.99873243 --> 00:07:31,640.99873243 So really that's a phenomenal piece of real estate to own on Google. 89 00:07:32,120.99873243 --> 00:07:37,955.99873243 And So if you're thinking like, Hey, I need a, basically you need a Google review for every customer. 90 00:07:38,165.99873243 --> 00:07:42,805.99873243 And literally, like I said, with my credit counseling company, people would come in and get a free consultation. 91 00:07:42,875.99873243 --> 00:07:43,745.99873243 I get a review. 92 00:07:44,105.99873243 --> 00:07:45,965.99773243 People would come in, sign up for the services. 93 00:07:45,975.99873243 --> 00:07:50,185.99873243 I get a review people, no matter where they're at in the process. 94 00:07:50,205.99873243 --> 00:07:55,785.99873243 I was always asking for reviews because really it's such a simple way. 95 00:07:55,865.99873243 --> 00:07:58,815.99873243 Like I just looked here in my area, RV rentals. 96 00:07:59,635.99873243 --> 00:08:04,825.99873243 And company here that has 83 reviews, which honestly isn't a ton of reviews. 97 00:08:05,335.99873243 --> 00:08:10,585.99873243 I mean, think about the amount of customers that you service if you're intentional about getting reviews. 98 00:08:10,985.99873243 --> 00:08:17,381.99873243 And as well too, when you're thinking about customer reviews and building an online presence if you've got a dealership that you work with. 99 00:08:17,381.99873243 --> 00:08:18,611.99873243 The rep that you work with there. 100 00:08:18,811.99873243 --> 00:08:29,231.99773243 Hey, would you leave me a review and I'll leave your review, make it a reciprocal kind of thing, or the, you know, where you go to get the propane filled or where you go to buy supplies or the campgrounds you work at. 101 00:08:29,591.99773243 --> 00:08:35,741.99773243 Hey, I want to leave a review, you know, do that first go on to their campground website Google Maps, leave them a review. 102 00:08:36,151.99873243 --> 00:08:37,501.99873243 And then when you're in there doing a delivery. 103 00:08:37,651.99873243 --> 00:08:44,571.99773243 Oh, hey, I forgot to show you this and went on the other day and left you guys a five star review and, you know, mentioned these A, B and C amenities. 104 00:08:45,251.99873243 --> 00:08:46,271.99873243 You got a minute to just. 105 00:08:46,696.99873243 --> 00:08:48,396.99873243 Go ahead and leave me a review real quick. 106 00:08:48,566.99873243 --> 00:08:56,206.99873243 If you don't know how to do it, I'll show you, pull out your phone real quick, type in this and walk them through, like literally have them do it while you're right there standing with them. 107 00:08:56,766.99873243 --> 00:09:01,136.99873243 Yeah, I think that's key is, not being afraid to ask for the review. 108 00:09:01,486.99873243 --> 00:09:13,396.99823243 We just met with our, marketing person the other day and he was asking for our feedback and he said, a lot of people don't do that because they're afraid to hear what the renter or whoever is going to come back well. 109 00:09:13,896.99823243 --> 00:09:22,966.99823243 You know, so you have to just kind of take that leap of faith, ask for the review, maybe they do leave some constructive criticism, but you have to take that so that you can better your business. 110 00:09:23,466.99823243 --> 00:09:24,846.99823243 So yeah, definitely ask. 111 00:09:24,886.99823243 --> 00:09:28,296.99823243 And I love the point of doing the Google reviews. 112 00:09:28,616.99823243 --> 00:09:38,506.99823243 You know, if you're renting outdoorsy and RV share, they automatically like send that blurb to the renter and ask for a review on those profiles. 113 00:09:38,726.99823243 --> 00:09:39,766.99823243 But if. 114 00:09:40,311.99823243 --> 00:09:45,81.99823243 Most likely when someone's searching for an RV rental, they're going to be doing it on Google. 115 00:09:45,351.99823243 --> 00:09:56,61.99823243 So, you know, getting those reviews on Google, it's going to make you show up better in the search results which is going to help people find you locally, which is ultimately what you want. 116 00:09:56,61.99823243 --> 00:09:56,901.99723243 Yeah, exactly. 117 00:09:57,101.99723243 --> 00:10:06,491.99823243 And two, once you get a listing with a decent amount of reviews on it, You can also forget the term for now because we haven't, we honestly haven't done it in a while. 118 00:10:06,791.99823243 --> 00:10:08,971.99823243 You can like boost your Google Maps listing. 119 00:10:08,971.99823243 --> 00:10:10,181.99723243 I don't think that's the name of it. 120 00:10:10,181.99823243 --> 00:10:14,671.99823243 I think that's a Facebook term, but you can sponsor it or something. 121 00:10:14,671.99823243 --> 00:10:15,111.99823243 I forget. 122 00:10:15,131.99823243 --> 00:10:24,271.99823243 But so that's another option that you have because yeah, at the end of the day you don't want to be messing around with Google paid ads to show up on the top. 123 00:10:24,661.99823243 --> 00:10:26,681.99823243 You know, they call it above the fold to show up there. 124 00:10:27,1.99723243 --> 00:10:35,201.99823243 You don't want to do that because RV share and these other guys, they're literally dropping millions of dollars, millions and millions of dollars, you know, in paid advertising. 125 00:10:35,201.99823243 --> 00:10:42,741.99823243 So customer reviews, it's always better for somebody else to promote you than you to promote yourself. 126 00:10:43,411.99823243 --> 00:10:49,81.99823243 So custom reviews and then another great one too is your Facebook page. 127 00:10:49,161.99823243 --> 00:10:59,591.99823243 You want to talk about Facebook a little bit Stacey? So what do you want to talk about there? So yeah, with Facebook pages, it's just another great way to build a presence, to build online reviews. 128 00:10:59,861.99723243 --> 00:11:04,231.99723243 And I think more importantly is to get your customer to engage with you. 129 00:11:04,651.99823243 --> 00:11:09,731.99823243 Because as you know, especially my folks out there that you just have one RV, you're renting it out. 130 00:11:10,341.99823243 --> 00:11:13,41.99823243 And you're just trying to find the best way to do things. 131 00:11:13,91.99823243 --> 00:11:16,431.99823243 You know, you don't have a CRM like us and a marketing team and all those different things. 132 00:11:16,841.99823243 --> 00:11:23,151.99823243 You have simply having a Facebook page for your RV or the name of your LLC or however you brand yourself. 133 00:11:23,621.99823243 --> 00:11:30,121.99823243 Getting your customers to engage with that page, which could just be as simple as just to start, Hey, like, and follow our page. 134 00:11:30,751.99823243 --> 00:11:33,121.99823243 Then what you're doing now is you're building your database. 135 00:11:33,511.99823243 --> 00:11:38,331.99823243 So all your previous renters you can communicate with them easily. 136 00:11:38,966.99823243 --> 00:11:45,666.99823243 And then obviously, customer reviews and you can go in and get them to leave a review as well. 137 00:11:46,176.99823243 --> 00:11:46,646.99823243 Yeah. 138 00:11:46,676.99823243 --> 00:11:57,906.99823243 And, you know, talking about engagement, I think, too, if someone does leave a review for you, it's really important to reply back to that review and thank them. 139 00:11:57,946.99823243 --> 00:11:58,706.99823243 You can. 140 00:11:59,66.99823243 --> 00:12:08,736.99623243 give feedback on specific items that they may have really loved or disliked and tell them how, you're going to improve that in the future. 141 00:12:08,996.99723243 --> 00:12:14,356.99623243 And I always like to follow it up with, hope to see you again next year and invite them back. 142 00:12:14,596.99623243 --> 00:12:18,476.99623243 So I think, they're taking time out of their day to leave the review. 143 00:12:18,486.99623243 --> 00:12:21,886.99623243 So you always want to take time out of your day to make sure that they're. 144 00:12:21,886.99623243 --> 00:12:25,406.99623243 Getting appreciated for leaving that review and thanking them for that. 145 00:12:26,376.99623243 --> 00:12:26,886.99623243 Exactly. 146 00:12:26,886.99623243 --> 00:12:27,106.99623243 Yeah. 147 00:12:27,106.99623243 --> 00:12:41,6.99723243 And also on that note, you can incentivize I remember I used to have a email template that would go out and it had our Google maps, our Facebook, our LinkedIn, and then my Zillow profile. 148 00:12:41,166.99723243 --> 00:12:45,836.99723243 When I was doing the credit counseling, my niche was creating homeowners, helping people get credit ready for homes. 149 00:12:46,336.99723243 --> 00:12:51,286.99623243 So if they went out and did all four of the links, I would send them a 50 gift card. 150 00:12:51,611.99723243 --> 00:13:14,601.99723243 So add a little bit of gamification to it, you know, complete these four and I'll send you 50 and then the links came in a hyperlinked in the email for them so that you have to make it as easy as possible for them to just simply click and do and then yeah, follow up with them, you know, don't be afraid to follow up and if you find that the engagement isn't that high, well then maybe you need to increase your incentive. 151 00:13:14,946.99723243 --> 00:13:18,506.99723243 It could be, all right, you know, I'm starting a a giveaway here. 152 00:13:18,506.99723243 --> 00:13:25,426.99723243 I'm going to do at the end of next month and everybody that leaves a review, every time you leave one on one of these links, I'm going to enter your name. 153 00:13:25,426.99723243 --> 00:13:34,436.99723243 I'm going to be giving away a discount on a rental next year or a smores kit or, you know, whatever you can do to incentivize and make that fun. 154 00:13:35,216.99723243 --> 00:13:36,396.99723243 Yeah, definitely. 155 00:13:36,476.99723243 --> 00:13:41,646.99723243 With customer reviews and having that great customer service is it. 156 00:13:41,646.99723243 --> 00:13:43,686.99723243 Gets them coming back every year. 157 00:13:43,776.99723243 --> 00:13:55,796.99623243 Not only are you getting new customers from people seeing your good reviews, but your current customers are coming back because you are thanking them for their feedback and giving them that. 158 00:13:55,796.99623243 --> 00:13:59,926.99623243 Validation that yeah, you did make the right decision with coming to us. 159 00:14:00,206.99623243 --> 00:14:02,26.99623243 You know, we'll see you again next year. 160 00:14:02,356.99623243 --> 00:14:04,166.99523243 And you know, that's worked for us. 161 00:14:04,206.99623243 --> 00:14:12,146.99623243 We've had customers coming back for like the last five years because of that customer service and, you know, the good reviews that we've had. 162 00:14:12,146.99623243 --> 00:14:16,206.99723243 So I think that's really important to strive for in your business. 163 00:14:16,206.99723243 --> 00:14:17,256.99723243 Yeah, exactly. 164 00:14:17,536.99723243 --> 00:14:25,876.99723243 And so Stacy, again, you know, me and my multitasking I'm just messaging with Zach franchise of ours in North Carolina. 165 00:14:26,396.99723243 --> 00:14:30,156.99623243 And he is, I was following up on a management lead. 166 00:14:30,156.99723243 --> 00:14:36,496.99723243 I sent him and the lady says she's holding off and he literally said, this is funny how this works. 167 00:14:36,497.09723243 --> 00:14:37,847.09723243 He literally just messaged. 168 00:14:38,67.09723243 --> 00:14:40,907.09673243 She mentioned seeing negative reviews about the company. 169 00:14:40,907.09673243 --> 00:14:42,367.09723243 She was going to hold off on our service. 170 00:14:42,987.09723243 --> 00:14:47,117.09723243 And he said she mentioned, because he, he said to me, well, she's holding off. 171 00:14:47,147.09723243 --> 00:14:49,927.09723243 And I said, okay, why is she holding off? I was trying to coach him through that. 172 00:14:50,407.09723243 --> 00:14:50,827.09723243 Right. 173 00:14:51,217.09723243 --> 00:14:54,167.09673243 We talk about that in another episode, mentors and, coaching. 174 00:14:54,167.09673243 --> 00:14:56,497.09623243 So it's like, okay, let's find the objection here. 175 00:14:57,7.09623243 --> 00:15:00,327.09723243 Usually it's fear of somebody sleeping in the bed of my camper. 176 00:15:00,757.09623243 --> 00:15:03,857.09623243 He said, she mentioned finding negative reviews about the company. 177 00:15:04,377.09623243 --> 00:15:07,197.09623243 I asked if she could share some feedback for training. 178 00:15:07,197.09623243 --> 00:15:08,347.09623243 So great job for that. 179 00:15:08,672.09623243 --> 00:15:11,882.09623243 For Zach for saying that hadn't received a spon response yet. 180 00:15:12,212.09623243 --> 00:15:13,502.09623243 So I'm responding to Zach. 181 00:15:13,502.09623243 --> 00:15:16,592.09623243 I'm sending him a link to our Outdoorsy Pro profile. 182 00:15:17,12.09623243 --> 00:15:20,612.09623243 We've got almost 200 reviews on here with 4.6 183 00:15:20,612.09623243 --> 00:15:27,437.09623243 stars which I'm very proud of that with hundreds and hundreds of RVs under management and thousands of bookings per season. 184 00:15:27,907.09623243 --> 00:15:28,687.09623243 4.6 185 00:15:28,687.09623243 --> 00:15:31,757.09623243 is a, is a pretty good rating because you're going to have. 186 00:15:32,162.09623243 --> 00:15:35,952.09623243 Those customers, you know, you're just going to have those customers that aren't happy no matter what. 187 00:15:36,312.09623243 --> 00:15:49,182.09523243 Yeah, and I think that's why it's important to ask for the review for those customers that you know did have a good experience because the ones that don't have an ideal experience, they're always the ones to leave the review. 188 00:15:49,772.09523243 --> 00:15:53,352.09623243 You know they love to shout out when they're not having a good experience. 189 00:15:54,332.09623243 --> 00:15:59,262.09523243 So, you know, getting those people that you know had a great experience to kind of. 190 00:16:00,202.09623243 --> 00:16:09,82.09623243 circumvent that and to help with your rating it's always the people that have a negative experience that are going to be the ones to leave the bad review, unfortunately. 191 00:16:10,372.09623243 --> 00:16:17,437.09623243 Yeah, you really do have to chase down the Happy renters to get the reviews, especially post booking. 192 00:16:17,437.09623243 --> 00:16:21,227.09623243 That's why I'm such a fan of like getting a review. 193 00:16:21,537.09623243 --> 00:16:27,467.09623243 Heck, even while you're out, you're on there and you just helped them finalize the booking, staying right on with them. 194 00:16:27,467.09623243 --> 00:16:28,237.09523243 Hey, all right, great. 195 00:16:28,237.09523243 --> 00:16:29,747.09523243 One more thing I need to do real quick. 196 00:16:30,17.09623243 --> 00:16:35,277.09723243 You know, I'm really just trying to share the joy of camping and just how easy it is and everything. 197 00:16:35,547.09723243 --> 00:16:38,947.09723243 And you know, how we just were able to get you all set up with this camper. 198 00:16:39,147.09723243 --> 00:16:40,587.0972324 I'm texting you a link right now. 199 00:16:40,587.0972324 --> 00:16:42,27.0962324 Click on that link for me. 200 00:16:43,152.0972324 --> 00:16:43,992.0972324 Let me know when you're on there. 201 00:16:43,992.0972324 --> 00:16:44,682.0972324 Okay, perfect. 202 00:16:44,682.0972324 --> 00:16:45,142.0972324 You're on that link. 203 00:16:45,142.0972324 --> 00:16:45,622.0972324 Okay, great. 204 00:16:45,862.0972324 --> 00:16:47,732.0972324 If you could, this is my Google Maps listing. 205 00:16:48,72.0972324 --> 00:16:54,652.0972324 Would you feel comfortable giving a five star review based on, you know, the conversation we just had? And then you wait for them to respond. 206 00:16:54,902.0972324 --> 00:17:08,402.0982324 And this is where you feel uncomfortable in these moments, but it's, it's uncomfortable to be, to you because you're asking something from somebody, but on the person on the other end of it, it's actually not as uncomfortable for them because. 207 00:17:08,872.0982324 --> 00:17:11,202.0982324 We love giving, we love helping people. 208 00:17:11,202.0982324 --> 00:17:13,142.0982324 Like it's in our nature to want to help. 209 00:17:13,152.0982324 --> 00:17:15,302.0982324 And that's a rewarding feeling that we get from helping. 210 00:17:15,582.0982324 --> 00:17:17,192.0982324 And they're going to say, oh yeah, no problem. 211 00:17:17,652.0982324 --> 00:17:19,62.0982324 I'll happily leave a five star review. 212 00:17:19,472.0972324 --> 00:17:23,562.0982324 Heck, I've had people that say, yeah, what do you want me to say? Just tell me what you want me to say. 213 00:17:23,832.0982324 --> 00:17:27,102.0982324 And you know what I do when they say that I say, oh, perfect. 214 00:17:27,342.0982324 --> 00:17:32,582.0982324 And I type out what I want them to say and I text it to them or I tell them over the phone and they type it in. 215 00:17:32,822.0982324 --> 00:17:33,32.0982324 Yeah. 216 00:17:33,32.0982324 --> 00:17:34,772.0982324 I just booked my camper with fireside. 217 00:17:34,772.0982324 --> 00:17:35,792.0982324 It was an easy experience. 218 00:17:35,792.0982324 --> 00:17:38,12.0982324 I can't wait to get away with my family and create some memories. 219 00:17:38,512.0982324 --> 00:17:43,632.0982324 So it's, it's, it's really just, it's something you haven't done before, so it seems awkward. 220 00:17:43,632.0982324 --> 00:17:45,2.0982324 It seems weird, but it's not. 221 00:17:45,372.0982324 --> 00:17:46,572.0982324 People will gladly do it. 222 00:17:46,982.0982324 --> 00:17:54,612.0982324 It's just you getting in the habit as far as making that part of your process when you're, you know, taking on a booking or interacting with a customer. 223 00:17:55,192.0982324 --> 00:17:55,602.0982324 Yeah. 224 00:17:55,622.0982324 --> 00:17:58,782.0982324 So I think I'm going to challenge everyone that's listening today. 225 00:17:58,872.0982324 --> 00:17:59,862.0982324 You know, to go. 226 00:18:00,272.0982324 --> 00:18:12,912.0972324 Sign into your platform, reach out to all your customers and ask for that review, and then go into your reviews and all the reviews that you currently have, make sure you're leaving feedback on all of those. 227 00:18:13,482.0982324 --> 00:18:20,651.9997324 You know, it's not too late to start, could be a customer from a year ago, but go ahead and ask for that review now. 228 00:18:20,651.9997324 --> 00:18:22,71.9997324 Stacey, I love how you said about that. 229 00:18:22,71.9997324 --> 00:18:23,51.9997324 I'm going to challenge you. 230 00:18:23,371.9997324 --> 00:18:36,261.9987324 Like that's all the, hype right now in, in a lot of the marketing and entrepreneurial world is challenges, right? Like three day water cleanse challenge, seven day pushup challenge, 21 day read your Bible challenge, like challenge him. 231 00:18:36,491.9997324 --> 00:18:39,791.9997324 And people love that because it's like, there's competition that's involved. 232 00:18:39,801.9997324 --> 00:18:51,831.9997324 You get to, Put up on the board that you did your thing and so literally use that as your motivation to reach out to these renters and say hey, i'm actually part of this rv rental community. 233 00:18:52,11.9997324 --> 00:19:06,202.0002324 We're actually doing a challenge right now and the challenge is to get as many reviews as we can Would you feel okay helping me win this challenge and guess what like we just said how people love to help and it's they call it the law of reciprocity. 234 00:19:06,302.0002324 --> 00:19:07,582.0002324 You've offered them a service. 235 00:19:07,582.0002324 --> 00:19:11,162.0002324 They were happy with the service, but you didn't ask for the review yet. 236 00:19:11,212.0002324 --> 00:19:18,121.9992324 If you were to ask for the review, the law of reciprocity says that they would feel obligated automatically on their end to do it. 237 00:19:18,162.0002324 --> 00:19:21,251.9992324 It's just most of the times people are lazy or too busy to do it. 238 00:19:21,661.9992324 --> 00:19:25,41.9992324 So if you're on there with them and saying, okay, great, do it. 239 00:19:25,182.0002324 --> 00:19:26,622.0002324 Reply back as soon as you do it. 240 00:19:26,632.0002324 --> 00:19:28,22.0002324 So I can add that onto my tally. 241 00:19:28,22.0002324 --> 00:19:28,142.0002324 Okay. 242 00:19:28,302.0002324 --> 00:19:30,572.0002324 Or and you can even make it funny. 243 00:19:30,572.0002324 --> 00:19:33,222.0002324 Like, Hey, if I don't hear from you in five minutes, it's done. 244 00:19:33,222.0002324 --> 00:19:34,92.0002324 I'm going to message you back. 245 00:19:34,102.0002324 --> 00:19:35,542.0002324 Cause I really want to win this challenge. 246 00:19:35,662.0002324 --> 00:19:37,42.0002324 Like it's okay to do that. 247 00:19:37,42.0002324 --> 00:19:41,622.0002324 It's okay to put a little bit of pressure on people and it's okay to put a little bit of pressure on yourself. 248 00:19:41,622.0002324 --> 00:19:50,662.0002324 Like get out of your comfort zone a little bit, ask the customer for the review, because guess the result of that is stronger presence. 249 00:19:51,197.0002324 --> 00:19:52,577.0002324 Easier time getting bookings. 250 00:19:52,577.0002324 --> 00:20:02,67.0002324 Like you want more bookings, right? So instead of us sitting here complaining about, which is a common thing, man, RV share, they're not getting me as many bookings as last year and their fees. 251 00:20:02,76.9992324 --> 00:20:02,857.0002324 And I'm so sick of it. 252 00:20:02,857.0002324 --> 00:20:03,387.0002324 Blah, blah, blah, blah. 253 00:20:03,627.0002324 --> 00:20:04,926.9992324 Well then do something about it. 254 00:20:05,397.0002324 --> 00:20:10,447.0002324 Build your brand, build your reviews, you know, and ask for those. 255 00:20:10,617.0002324 --> 00:20:12,506.9992324 And then after you get that review from that renter. 256 00:20:12,897.0002324 --> 00:20:14,77.0002324 Guess what? You've got them. 257 00:20:14,87.0002324 --> 00:20:15,67.0002324 You're communicating with them. 258 00:20:15,337.0002324 --> 00:20:19,27.0002324 Hey, and by the way, I noticed you, you booked July 1st to the 7th. 259 00:20:19,27.0002324 --> 00:20:21,277.0002324 I actually have those dates open for next year. 260 00:20:21,697.0002324 --> 00:20:23,17.0002324 Tell you what, go ahead and book right now. 261 00:20:23,17.0002324 --> 00:20:25,977.0002324 And I'm going to throw in a couple of free add ons. 262 00:20:26,66.9992324 --> 00:20:29,497.0002324 I'm a big person on adding value instead of decreasing price. 263 00:20:29,866.9992324 --> 00:20:32,967.0002324 You know, I know a lot of people are like, yeah, book now and I'll give you a 10 percent discount. 264 00:20:33,317.0002324 --> 00:20:34,437.0002324 No, say book now. 265 00:20:34,437.0002324 --> 00:20:39,267.0002324 And I'm going to throw in some chairs and a s'mores kit because the chairs you already own. 266 00:20:39,842.0002324 --> 00:20:41,772.0002324 It's not costing you anything to add those in. 267 00:20:42,182.0002324 --> 00:20:43,832.0002324 Sorry, I went off on a little rant there, Stacey. 268 00:20:44,202.0002324 --> 00:20:45,232.0002324 I got really passionate for a minute. 269 00:20:45,432.0002324 --> 00:20:46,372.0002324 No, I love it. 270 00:20:46,422.0002324 --> 00:20:58,772.0002324 And I think too, like you had mentioned about, You know, the reviews we had talked about Google that's a great way to, to get direct bookings rather than going through the platforms. 271 00:20:59,22.0002324 --> 00:21:02,802.0002324 So that's where you're advertising, you know, the link to your website. 272 00:21:03,152.0002324 --> 00:21:07,931.9992324 So that can be a great way to get those direct bookings, which is going to get more money in your pocket too. 273 00:21:07,931.9992324 --> 00:21:09,311.9992324 Exactly, so. 274 00:21:10,11.9992324 --> 00:21:19,441.9992324 Well, I think, you know, to be on brands with this podcast episode is we're gonna ask all of our listeners to leave a review for us for the podcast. 275 00:21:19,446.9992324 --> 00:21:31,416.9992324 You know, tell us what you're loving about it, what do you want to hear about next? And you can leave that review anywhere you're listening on the podcast, whether it's Apple Podcasts Spotify, you know, just leave that review for us. 276 00:21:31,416.9992324 --> 00:21:32,286.9992324 We'd love to see it. 277 00:21:32,286.9992324 --> 00:21:33,826.9992324 Stacy, that's a great idea. 278 00:21:34,296.9992324 --> 00:21:35,76.9992324 I like how you think. 279 00:21:35,296.9992324 --> 00:21:38,616.9992324 How about we incentivize it too? I mean, we just talked about incentivizing it. 280 00:21:38,617.0992324 --> 00:21:43,516.9992324 How about when we come on the podcast next week, we'll look at reviews over the last week. 281 00:21:43,816.9992324 --> 00:21:54,986.9997324 We'll randomly pick a winner and what will we give them? How about we give them our Firestarter course? So it's a course that'll teach you about renting out your RV. 282 00:21:54,986.9997324 --> 00:21:55,406.9997324 Okay. 283 00:21:55,466.9997324 --> 00:21:57,866.9987324 So we'll give you a free copy of our Firestarter course. 284 00:21:58,461.9997324 --> 00:22:06,561.9997324 And we've sold that anywhere from 1, 000 to 500 to I think we ran a 299 promotion once. 285 00:22:07,36.9997324 --> 00:22:11,196.9997324 So, yeah, that's a complete course that is all about renting your RV. 286 00:22:11,586.9997324 --> 00:22:15,886.9997324 All the things add ons it's got checklist, it's got videos, it's got a whole bunch of stuff in it. 287 00:22:15,886.9997324 --> 00:22:16,176.9997324 Yeah. 288 00:22:16,176.9997324 --> 00:22:20,817.0007324 So next week we'll pick our winner and go ahead and leave that review. 289 00:22:20,817.0007324 --> 00:22:23,196.9997324 And hopefully we'll be shouting out your name next week. 290 00:22:23,577.0007324 --> 00:22:28,587.0007324 So thank you so much for joining us this week and we'll talk to you next week. 291 00:22:29,187.0007324 --> 00:22:29,547.0007324 All right. 292 00:22:29,597.0007324 --> 00:22:30,217.0007324 We'll see y'all.