Record week leading up to Agent of the Year Awards deadline RateMyAgent has had a record week! Between 14 November and 17 November we received an average of 590 reviews a day, with Monday seeing a total of 618 reviews coming in, our highest day in November date since we launched in 2014. That means a review was submitted almost every two minutes. December saw new records, with over 700 reviews a day! Showing how valuable RateMyAgent is to vendors, buyers, and agents. “Last week a review was submitted almost every 2 minutes.” The Agent of the Year Awards are coming! The RateMyAgent Agent of the Year Awards are coming, and to be in the running one thing you can do is chase your missing reviews. With the competition hotting up, reviews are critical to your success in winning one of the Agent of the Year titles – so make sure you request as many reviews from 2016 as you can, to ensure you’re in the running for a national, state, city or suburb title. Read more: 3 tips to lock in your missing reviews The Agent of the Year Awards are the only awards to recognise agents and agencies on a national, state , city and suburb level, meaning there are thousands of titles to be won. Being crowned king or queen of your suburb means that you’re the leading agent in the area for 2017. “Winning an Agent of the Year title shows you’re leading the way in customer satisfaction.” Read more: How to win Agent of the Year Recogniseing excellence in customer service throughout Australia People trust online reviews and use them to make decisions about a business before they’ve even spoken to anyone. RateMyAgent supports good agents and agencies, and the marketing tools we’ve developed allow subscribers to nail their online profile – a key step in today’s digital interview process. The Agent of the Year Awards have been developed to take this one step further and recognises excellence in customer service throughout Australia and further highlight that agents are experts in the industry. Log into your Agent Dashboard to request reviews now Having problems? Contact us at support@ratemyagent.com Image: Designed by Freepik
In Australia, agents work hard to build a solid reputation and to become a central part of their agency team, with many agents staying at the same agency for years on end, building solid market reputations. But like all industries, sometimes people do move around a bit, but moving agencies doesn’t mean leaving behind your reviews. Shared sales history When you move to a new agency, your RateMyAgent profile moves with you. You don’t need to leave behind your reviews, or your recognition. The credit for the sale of any properties you sold during your time with another agency will remain with that agency, so you’ll share your sales histories with each agency you’ve worked for. How to move your profile (or connect it to your agency) Moving your RateMyAgent profile to your new agency is easy. It’s the same steps you went through when you connected your profile when you subscribed. In your Agent Dashboard: Click on ‘profile’ in the left-hand column Scroll down the page to the ‘Agency’section and click on the edit icon Start typing your new agency name and select from the drop down. All done. Other updates to consider Email address Mobile phone number (if you’re switching phones) Land line/Office number Bio: Does your bio now need updating? This is your personal bio, so showcase your experience. Branding: If you’re a subscriber to RateMyAgent, then you will probably want to change your branding as well. On the same page, you’ll see two boxes, one with the background colour and one with the text colour. Change your background colour to match your new agency’s branding. Add a welcome video Standard and Professional subscribers can also add a welcome video to personalise their pages even more. (Quick note: If some agents in your team don’t have access to add branding to their profile, or add welcome videos, then you’ll need to update the accounts to our ‘Standard’ or ‘Professional’ options.
How to: Edit & resend Review Requests Requesting your seller reviews should be a part of your weekly routine if you want to maximise your digital presence. Your latest review is like a personalised advert, unique to you, recommending your services. If you're missing a few reviews, don't forget you can jump into your Agent Dashboard and resend review requests to your vednors and buyers. Here are some tips. Editing & re-requesting a buyer or seller review Remember that your buyers and sellers can only write you a review if you send them a request. Of course, during the busy time of moving they can forget to leave you feedback, or miss the email, and a little nudge a few months later never hurts. 'A little nudge to your vendors and buyers never hurts.' Jump back into your Dashboard on RateMyAgent and edit and resend a review request in just a few simple steps. 1. Select ‘Reviews’ from your dashboard 2. Go to ‘Pending Reviews’ and click ‘Edit & Resend’ Once you’re in the ‘Reviews’ section of your dashboard (see Reviews in the left-hand menu), you’ll see your ‘Pending Reviews’. Here you’ll see properties you’ve sold. If no review has been received for a listing you’ll see an ‘Edit & Resend’ button so you can resend the review request again. Read more: 3 tips to locking in missing reviews 3. Edit the review request email and re-submit Check your client’s name and email are correct and select whether they are a ‘Vendor’ or ‘Buyer’ from the dropdown option. It’s a good idea to add a personalised message in the email here so your vendors/buyers know you remember them. Make sure they know their feedback is important to you. When you’re ready to send it off, hit the blue ‘Request Review’ button. Tip: Call your client and let them know the review request is coming, this way they’ll look out for it, and know it’s coming from you, relating to their sale/purchase during the year. That’s it. Much like the last time you did it, your seller or buyer will receive an email asking them to post a review. They won’t need to log in or register, they simply click the green button ‘Click here to write a review’ and complete the review form. Read more: The RMA Score explained Having problems? Contact us at support@ratemyagent.com
3 tips to lock in missing reviews in October 2017 RateMyAgent reached 350,000 reviews on the site. A massive indication that agents in Australia are doing some great work, and getting recognition for it too. Every review you get boosts your RMA Score and agents have been asking us how to chase missing reviews from previous sales where your vendor may not have gotten around to submitting their feedback. Vendors want to review you As an example, in October 2017, over 15,000 buyers and vendors submitted reviews to ratemyagent.com.au so it’s safe to say that the majority of vendors are more than willing to jump online and leave you feedback on RateMyAgent. Of course, not every vendor you work with will leave a review, but that doesn’t mean most won’t. 'The majority of vendors are more than willing to jump online and leave you feedback on RateMyAgent.' 3 tips to chasing missing reviews Locking in missing reviews can be easier than you think, and from the results we see, many vendors are more than happy to give you feedback when reminded, even if it’s months after their sale was completed. Here are three tips to help you get going: 1. Call your vendor & let them know it’s important After their sale, did you tell your vendor that you’d be sending them a review request, and why it was important? When a vendor understands that their feedback matters to you and that you value their time and input, they’re more likely to take five minutes to write you a review. 2. Check you’re using the right email Your vendor may have one email for admin and sales documents, and one for everyday tasks. It could be that the review request is going to an address they don’t often check. Give them a call to check their email and resend a request. For vendors you haven’t contacted for over six months, this is also It’s also a subtle way to get back in touch and see where they’re at in their property journey; (with any luck they could be looking to invest or sell another property!) 3. Make sure your vendor’s expecting a RateMyAgent Review Request Most people receive a lot of emails, and often ignore half of them! Make sure your vendor knows that an email from you with RateMyAgent on it is asking for their feedback, and requires 5 – 10 minutes of their time, tops. This will help the vendor look out for the email. Make sure they know they don’t need to write a lot. Even a few words can help showcase their experience. BONUS TIP: Personalise your emails Log in to your RateMyAgent profile and send a personalised request Did you know that you can personalise your review requests? Why not add a personal note to your vendor to let them know this is a specific request for them. Simply log into your dashboard and head to ‘Reviews’. Then go to ‘Get Reviews’ for any properties which haven’t yet been reviewed. These properties are displayed as 'Review Opportunities.' The standard email template will show up with pre-filled copy, but you can also personalise the email here. Read more: The RMA Score explained Having problems? Contact us at support@ratemyagent.com
A recent study out of the US has found that online reviews are rapidly becoming a trusted source of information for consumers. 84% of consumers now trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations up from 67% just seven years ago. The statistics don't lie - online reviews are a key currency to build brand trust The study also found consumers trust online reviews if there are multiples from a variety of people that were also authentic. RateMyAgent provides a trusted platform for agents to display their reviews on so that new vendors searching for an agent have a trusted point of reference to use. 3 reasons RateMyAgent reviews are trusted RateMyAgent reviews are trusted by consumers because they use three points of reference to verify their authenticity: Property address and sale information: All reviews are linked to a property transaction, so it's clear what kind of property and sale they relate to. Relationship to the transaction: Each review is clearly given by a vendor or buyer who has dealt with the agent in question, so people can get a view of how the agent works with both parties. Agent name and contact details: Reviews are all attached to the agent they relate to so vendors can easily find sales insights and contact details and connect with the agent they're reading about. '84% of consumers now trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations' Furthermore ratemyagent.com.au makes it easy to get a review. Our unique review/testimonial request platform has received over 250,000 reviews. Tim Heavyside from Fletchers Canterbury has 146 reviews from the last 12 months and was named 2017 Agent of the Year! How do I request a review? How do I claim my profile?
How to: Win Agent of the Year 2017 Agent of the Year is a title that will see you crowned as the most recommended agent or agency in Australia. Each agent and agency with a claimed profile is automatically entered into the RateMyAgent awards*, and with over 26,000 claimed profiles, the Agent of the Year Awards are the largest real estate industry awards in Australia. And they’re about more than just taking out the national title. RateMyAgent will be handing out thousands of awards to the most recommended agencies and agents around the country: National level awards State level awards City level Suburb level awards 'Every review you get takes you closer to the prize.' What does winning mean? Winning a title proves that you have excelled in customer service and are highly valued by the people who matter most – your customers. Most importantly, it shows that you’ve had consistent seller feedback for the properties sold in 2016. Please note: The deadline to receive 2016 reviews was January 15, 2017. Data for the 2017 awards has now been calculated. Winners announced March 2017. The key to winning For the 2017 awards a higher importance will be placed on consistency of reviews received - outlined in an agent's or angency's RMA Score. The RMA Score is calculated looking at reviews received relative to properties sold and shown as as a percentage to agent's and agency's in RateMyAgent's weekly emails. This new metric means that agents are now on a more level playing field when it comes to winning an award, as sales volume alone doesn’t guarantee you a win. Just one more reason why the RateMyAgent Agent of the Year Awards are seen as a solid indication of who's performing the best in Austrlian real estate. The 2017 Agent of the Year Awards will be calculated by overlaying the following three metrics: % of seller reviews received relative to the number of properties sold (we call this percentage your RMA Score). Total number of properties sold Total sales value of property sold Want to win? Right now is the time to chase your missing 2016 seller reviews. Please note: The deadline to receive 2016 reviews has passed. Data for the 2017 awards has now been calculated. Winners announced March 2017. Each review you receive increases your chance of taking out a title. Read more: The RateMyAgent awards are coming. *Suburb Awards: For an agent or agency to qualify at suburb level they must have sold at least 5 properties and received a minimum of 5 reviews for properties sold in the suburb. Agencies and agents selling fewer than 5 properties in a suburb in 2016 will not be eligible.
With more than 450,000 visitors searching RateMyAgent every month it's important to make sure your reviews appear on the site as often as possible. The best way to do this is with a Premium Profile, which gives you access to featured spots around the site. When you subscribe to a Premium Profile your reviews will appear as 'Sponsored Reviews'. 3 extra places your review appears if you're a subscriber There are three main areas your reviews will appear if you're a subscriber to RateMyAgent: 1. In the suburb profiles pages When a user searches for their suburb they're presented with a page on RateMyAgent which gives an overview of the suburb's activity. Premium Profile subscribers will see that there latest reviews appear on suburb profile pages in the reviews carousel and are ordered by the 10 most recently posted reviews. Read more: Suburb profiles - showcasing your local market 2) On your competitors profile pages Your reviews will appear as Sponsored Reviews on competitors profile pages who do not have a Premium Profile. Important: Subscribers to a Premium Profile will not have other agent's reviews appearing on their page. The highlighted section in the image below shows a Sponsored Review showing on a competitors profile page, note that the agent, Jon Roberts is not a subscriber to RateMyAgent, but the featured agent is. 3. On suburb data & ranking pages Sponsored Reviews appear on all RateMyAgent ranking pages and activity pages. A great way to get your reviews seen by people searching in the local area as soon as they hit the site. The featured reviews changes each time the page is refreshed or visited again by a user. Having problems? Contact us at support@ratemyagent.com