Episode Transcription

Introduction to Getting Google Reviews as a Mortgage Broker

Most brokers want more Google reviews, but they hate asking for them because it feels awkward, salesy, or too forward. And even when you do ask, clients often say, yeah, sure, and then nothing happens. So in today's episode, I'm gonna break down the seven questions every mortgage broker needs to have the answers to if they want reviews that actually come in, strengthen local SEO, and build real authority without feeling pushy.

So if you ever struggled with getting clients to follow through, this one is gonna make your life a hell of a lot easier. Let's do it.

When Is the Best Time in the Mortgage Process to Ask for Google Reviews?

So question number one is when is the best moment in the mortgage process to ask for Google reviews so clients actually complete it. So honestly, the best time to ask for Google reviews is at the point of offer. So mortgage offer is the point where you should be asking for them, and there's a big reason why.

So most people I see, brokers, they will start off where they might ask them at completion, and that makes logical sense of course. You think, look, they've finished, they've got what they wanted, they've moved in, and now it's time for me to get the review. But actually that's not correct.

First thing is your job was to get the mortgage offer and so you've actually finished your job at the point when you get the mortgage offer. So that's when the review should really take place for you. So mortgage offer is gonna be the point where you've delivered what you have. I think that that's something that most mortgage brokers get really confused about and definitely get a little bit confused. It's a bit muddled, the word, when do you finish working with the client. And really once you've got them offer, that's it.

The other thing is why you should ask at the offer as well is that at this point in the process, if you think about it this way, this point in the process, you are the only person who's actually delivered on what you were gonna do. Estate agents not until you've moved in. Solicitors not until you've actually moved in. But for you, when you actually deliver the offer, at this point it's the time where everybody else feels like they're dragging their heels, but you are the one who's actually delivered.

I know it myself. I'm literally about to move house. This might be the last couple of episodes I'm recording my podcast in this studio. I'm gonna be moving location. And when the mortgage offer was issued, it felt like such a huge weight off our shoulders because it was like, oh, that bit's done and that bit's okay and it's sorted.

And so this is the type of thing you have to think about. That is when the client is in what is known as a peak end effect. So the peak of the emotion meaning that you've got the offer, it's what they needed. That's when you want to ask them for the review. Ask them at completion, it's too late. Everyone's bombarding them for that. Ask them too early and, well, you haven't done the job, so you don't want the review at that point.

What Wording Should Mortgage Brokers Use When Asking for a Review?

Question number two is what exact wording should I use to request the review so it feels natural and not salesy or awkward. So the best thing when it comes to reviews is just literally outright ask them. So when we say salesy or awkward, I think one of the things people get so confused about with this is that they try their hardest to not come across as pushy or salesy, and in doing so, it comes across as awkward, pushy, and salesy.

If you have done a job, which you have, you've got them through to a mortgage offer, you've got them the offer, you've delivered your job. It's okay for you to ask for a review. In fact, it's not just okay, you should. You should be able to acknowledge that you've had a good experience and the client can then fill it in.

Do not feel pushy at all about actually asking them. Now how do I ask them straight away? I would literally just say: here's the mortgage offer.

Normally what I'd recommend with this is we would do what we call a Loom offer, a mortgage offer recording. So we'd normally bring up a Loom, so a screen recording, record the mortgage offer, go through that and say, look, here's the mortgage offer. Talk through each section again, effectively like talking through the ESIS or the KFI and then at the end of it say, look, we've done it all now, this is all good. I'm gonna see you through to completion, but the next step for this is for you to go and leave me a Google review. It would mean the world to me.

If you could do that, I'll send you a link and I'll also give you examples of some of the stuff people said, just so you can get an idea of what it is we're looking for on there. That's it. Send it to them and then send them it. And then guess what? Follow them up again and again and again. But that's the wording. And you follow up again until they do it effectively.

How Can Mortgage Brokers Get Reviews Without Nagging or Chasing?

So number three then is how do I get clients to leave a review without nagging or chasing them. You can do a number of different things. You can either bring it in and talk about it with the client, say, once the mortgage offer is done, if you're talking through, that's when I ask for a review and it would mean the world to me if you could do that at that point once we've delivered. So you can bring it up early so they're aware of it. That's one way of doing it.

The other thing though is, I would say, when it comes to how you get them to review it without being naggy or chasing them is: it's okay to nag and chase them. So I'd probably go down like a three step rule.

So how do you get them to do it? First of all, tell them you're gonna do it. Do it when you're delivering an offer. Then do it when you do a follow up.

So the way we'd normally do it is once they've had a mortgage offer, you'd follow them up every two weeks until completion to see how they're getting on. Follow up again too. Well in that two weeks be like, hey, how's everything going? Oh also, I noticed you haven't done the review yet. I know we're all busy. Could you get that done for me? It'd really mean the world to me.

So the word I like, by the way, is it would really mean the world to me. You say that, it will always feel better and feel nicer.

But that's one of the ways to do that: follow them up on that two week, and then again two weeks later, and then again two weeks later. And that would be it. So you ask them once, three follow ups, and then if they haven't done it by that point, drop it until completion. And then at completion follow back up again and say, hey, you know, I hope you’re well, and you do your completion process which we've done or will do episodes on.

Then at that point you'd ask for it again. So you do want to nag them. It's okay to nag them. It's okay to do that.

Remember that people care less about it than you think. They see the message, go, oh yeah, I'll do that, and then they don't. I have clients who I get to do a video testimonial for me, and they said yes, and then I'll ask them two, three, maybe four times. And then after that I just drop it because they're not that bothered.

I'll normally pick it back up again later. It's not that they don't want to do it, it's just that their life gets in the way and they're not prioritising it.

Spoiler alert with this one: whenever someone asks you to do a review, I do this with people. Whenever someone asks me to do a review, I will do it instantly because it's actually not a very big job. But we make it into something because we just push it along. So if someone says to me, can you do me a video testimonial, I literally just put my phone up and do a video testimonial straight away because it's done. Same thing with written testimonials, Google reviews, things like that. It's exactly the same for you.

Should Mortgage Brokers Ask for Reviews at Offer Stage or After Completion?

Number four is should I ask for a review during the mortgage journey offer stage or after completion, and what is the difference. So we've broken this one down already. The answer is you should ask at the point of offer.

Now let's talk about the peak end effect. The peak end effect is a psychological principle where people remember the peak of their emotional journey and the end. The peak is the highest or lowest emotion at that point. The end is when it finishes.

These two points determine how people remember you. This is important for referrals as well.

Within mortgages, it's straightforward. The peak is the mortgage offer and the end is completion. It is not the peak and end of the whole process, but the part you are responsible for.

The reason we ask at offer is because that's the peak. You ask when they're at the height of their emotional journey. They're excited, they're happy, no one else has delivered, and you have.

How we solidify this at the peak end is at completion. That's when we ask for referrals. Review at offer, referrals after completion. This is how you use the peak end effect effectively.

What Makes a Google Review Valuable for Local SEO?

So number five is what makes a Google review actually useful for ranking locally and building authority. Google reviews are by far the number one way you should be getting reviews.

There are other platforms like Trustpilot, VouchedFor, Facebook reviews, LinkedIn reviews, whatever. But nothing is going to beat Google reviews.

Especially with AI. Google and Gemini are going to use Google reviews as a way to find brokers. That is why you want them.

Google reviews rank you in local SEO. They put you higher in your local market. They help you appear when someone searches mortgage brokers near me or mortgage brokers Cambridge.

The more reviewed you are and the more recently reviewed you are, the higher you're going to rank. It's probably the number one thing that gives you the fastest return on investment in terms of search and discoverability.

Do not waste time pushing reviews to platforms that do not affect your SEO. Every effort should be funnelled into Google reviews. The more you do it, the more you will rank. AI is only going to amplify this further.

How Should Brokers Handle Clients Who Say They Will Do It Later?

Number six is how do I deal with clients who say they'll do it later and then they never actually follow through. My advice is follow them up. Ask at offer stage, then three follow ups, then ask again at completion. After that, let it go.

Some people live in chaos. They don't prioritise it. It can be annoying when people say they will do it and then don't. But you can't change how people act. Do not let it bother you.

Do not follow up too late. They won’t even remember what the review was for. I've tried before. People won't do it months later.

Stop before you become the crazy broker harassing people.

How Many Google Reviews Does a Mortgage Broker Need?

Brings me on to number seven. How many reviews does a mortgage broker really need before they start seeing an impact on leads. You don't need many depending on your local area. If you've got none, then 10 is fine. Ideally you’ll see a shift around 50.

But do you need only 50? No. You want as many as possible. Hundreds. Thousands if you can get them. The more you have, the more you break away from competitors.

Most brokers sit between 50 and 150. If you've got more, well done. But push for more.

One of my clients did 10 reviews last month, but they did 47 mortgages. That's not enough. Ideally you want 60 percent to 80 percent of offers converting into reviews.

This compounds over time.

Do not stop at 100 reviews and go focus on Facebook. Keep pushing Google. People look at the dates. A recent review is a sign you are active. Anything over three months old is a problem for brokers.

Reviews are ongoing. More than you think.

Outro

Thanks so much for listening. If today's episode helps you feel more confident asking for reviews, make sure you check out next week's episode because we are tackling a very big one: will AI replace mortgage brokers and which parts of the job are actually safe.

I'm breaking down what's changing, what's staying the same, and the specific skills brokers need to stay visible in the years to come. Make sure you hit follow or subscribe wherever you're watching or listening, and I'll see you in the next episode.