Review requests sent per closing
The process measure; every eligible closing should get one.
Real estate brokerages · Review and referral requests
More reviews at closing and more referrals in the years after
For most agents, past clients and their friends are the best source of business, and reviews on Google and Zillow shape who gets the first call. Yet asking for a review depends on remembering at closing, when everyone is exhausted, and staying in touch afterward depends on a discipline that fades with every busy season.
How it often works today
- Review requests go out only when the agent remembers, so many happy clients are never asked and review counts grow slowly.
- Closing gifts are generous, but contact afterward drops to a holiday card, and past clients forget which agent helped them.
- Agents who leave take their past client relationships with them, and the brokerage has no consistent program of its own.
- Nobody tracks which past clients referred business, so the most loyal sources are never properly thanked or recognized.
A reviews and referrals workflow makes the asks consistent. Shortly after closing, the agent gets a ready-to-send personal review request. After that, past clients get useful, occasional touches: a home anniversary note, a neighborhood market snapshot, a reminder when county valuation notices arrive. When a past client replies or hits a milestone, the agent is prompted to call.
The improved workflow
Trigger at the right moment
A few days after closing, once the keys are in hand, the agent gets a drafted personal message with direct review links for Google and Zillow.
Personalize the ask
The draft references something specific from the transaction notes, and the agent edits and sends it from their own phone or email.
Plan a yearly touch calendar
Past clients get four to six useful touches a year: a home anniversary, a market snapshot for their neighborhood, valuation notice season and a seasonal maintenance tip.
Prompt personal calls
When a past client replies, opens repeatedly or reaches a milestone like five years in the home, the agent gets a task to call.
Track and thank referrals
Referrals are recorded with their source, and the agent is reminded to thank the referring client personally with a call or handwritten note.
How we deliver this: AI automation for small business or fractional CTO leadership, scoped in writing and run over 90 days. See pricing or the sample scope.
What we would measure
Reviews received per month
The visible outcome on Google and Zillow.
Past clients touched in the last 90 days
Shows whether the relationship program is actually running.
Referral transactions per quarter
The business outcome, tracked over the longer term.
Where people stay in control
- Agents send review requests personally; nothing is posted, edited or incentivized on a client's behalf, in line with platform rules and FTC guidance on reviews.
- Past client emails honor opt-outs and include brokerage identification, and contact frequency stays modest.
- Home value figures sent to past clients are clearly labeled as estimates, not appraisals or broker price opinions.
Example
Illustrative: one agent's year of closings
For example, an agent closes 24 transactions in a year. Previously they asked for reviews about a third of the time. With the trigger in place, every closing produces a drafted request, and the agent sends 22. Over the following year, past clients receive five touches each, and nine replies prompt personal calls, two of which lead to referrals. All numbers are illustrative, not expected results.
Tools typically involved
What the first 30 days look like
We would review the last year of closings for review requests sent and reviews received, and check how past clients are tagged in the CRM. Then we set up the closing trigger and drafted request, pilot it with a few agents, and design the yearly touch calendar.
Common questions
Is it okay to offer gifts for reviews?
Many review platforms prohibit incentives, and the FTC has rules against buying or rewarding reviews in certain ways. We would keep the request simple and unconditional. Closing gifts are fine as thanks, but they should never depend on leaving a review.
Should the brokerage or the agent own past client touches?
That depends on your agent agreements. Many brokerages run a brand-level program with agent-personalized content, so both benefit. We would design the program around your policy and make it clear to agents how their sphere is handled.
How often should we contact past clients?
Enough to be remembered, not so often that you are ignored. Four to six useful touches a year plus personal calls usually beats a weekly newsletter. We would watch opt-outs and replies to tune the frequency over time.
The business case
Does it pay for itself?
Illustrative defaults for a real estate brokerage. Replace them with your numbers.
What this workflow costs today
a month in staff time, before any lost sales
Monthly fee + assumed tools +
Break-even: new clients a month (at first-year value)
Or: staff hours recovered and redeployed
Break-even additional revenue
Value of +1 point of win rate
First 90 days, service fee
Worth a closer lookTest the assumptions
Illustration only, not a forecast or guarantee. Recovered staff time becomes a cash saving only if spending actually declines or the time goes into paid work. Tool costs are an assumption; we replace every number here with yours before recommending a scope.
Review and referral requests in other industries
Auto repair shopsDental practicesEvent and catering companiesHome remodeling companiesHVAC companiesInsurance agenciesLandscaping companiesPhysical therapy clinics
Review and referral requests: full guide
Related guides
Zapier for small businessHow to get more reviews ethically, within the FTC's 2024 ruleReferral programs for service businesses: a practical design
Terms used here
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