Common-Sense Marketing

17/09/2025

You've told your staff 100 times: "Ask happy customers for reviews."

They nod and agree. Then... nothing happens.

Here's why (and it's not what you think):

Last week, I was talking to Sarah, who owns a dental practice. She was frustrated because despite multiple staff meetings about asking for reviews, they just weren't doing it.

"I've trained them. I've reminded them. I've even offered bonuses. But we're still stuck at 15 reviews while the practice down the road has 80+."

Here's the uncomfortable truth about why staff don't ask for reviews:

❌ It's not their business - They don't feel the pain of lost customers
❌ Fear of rejection - What if the customer says no?
❌ Other priorities - They're focused on their actual job
❌ Timing is everything - They ask at the wrong moment
❌ They forget - It's not their main responsibility

And here's the thing: This isn't their fault.

You hired them to provide great service, not to be marketing experts. Asking them to remember to request reviews is like asking your accountant to also do your plumbing.

What actually works:

Instead of depending on human memory and motivation, we set up an automated system that:
• Sends review requests at the perfect time (3 days after service)
• Uses the right language that gets responses
• Follows up automatically with gentle reminders
• Requires zero effort from your team

Sarah's practice now gets 15-20 new reviews every month. Her staff can focus on patient care, and she sleeps better knowing her reputation is growing automatically.

**Has this happened in your business? Your staff mean well, but reviews still aren't coming in?**

10/09/2025

Three businesses show up in Google's map pack. Everyone else is invisible.

Here's how to be one of the three...

Yesterday, I searched "plumber near me" on Google. Know what I saw?

Position 1: 333 Google reviews
Position 2: 158 Google reviews
Position 3: 101 Google reviews

Then I scrolled down to see the other plumbers in the area. There were 12 more. But here's the thing - most people never scroll down.

Studies show that 44% of people click on the map pack results. Only 8% scroll down to see the rest.

Translation: If you're not in the top 3, you're practically invisible.

So what determines who gets those golden 3 spots?

Google considers multiple factors:
• Distance from the searcher
• Relevance to the search term
• Prominence (mainly determined by reviews)

You can't control distance. Relevance is fairly standard if you're in the right business category.

But prominence? That's where you can win.

Here's the math:
• More reviews = higher prominence score
• Higher prominence = better map pack position
• Better position = more clicks
• More clicks = more customers
• More customers = more reviews

It's a compound effect.

The businesses that understand this:
They don't just hope for reviews. They have systems that consistently generate them.

The businesses that don't:
They wonder why their phone doesn't ring as much as their competitors', even though their service is just as good (or better).

Real example:
Two accountants, same street, similar services:
• Accountant A: 15 reviews, rarely shows in map pack
• Accountant B: 67 reviews, always in position #1 or #2

Guess who gets more new clients?

**The opportunity:
Most businesses in your area probably have fewer than 20 Google reviews. Getting to 50+ puts you in a completely different league.

**Do you show up in the map pack when people search for your services?**

03/09/2025

Successful business owners invest 15 minutes to solve problems.

Struggling ones spend 15 hours trying to avoid them.

I learned this lesson the hard way.

Three years ago, I knew my business needed better online reviews. I had happy clients, but Google showed just 8 reviews while my competitors had 50+.

I spent months researching solutions:
• Watched YouTube tutorials (3 hours)
• Read blog posts about review strategies (2 hours)
• Compared different software platforms (4 hours)
• Attended a webinar about reputation management (1 hour)
• Downloaded templates and tried to customize them (5 hours)

Total time invested: 15+ hours
Results achieved: Zero new reviews

Then I met a successful business owner who said something that changed everything:

"Stop researching. Start implementing. Give me 15 minutes and I'll show you exactly what works."

He was right. In 15 minutes, he outlined a simple system that actually worked.

The pattern I see everywhere:

Successful businesses: Quick decisions, fast implementation, course-correct as needed

Struggling businesses: Endless research, perfect planning, never actually start

Your online reputation is the same:

You can spend months figuring out how to get more Google reviews, or you can invest 15 minutes setting up a system that works.

The choice that separates successful businesses from struggling ones? They choose action over analysis.

**What 15-minute task have you been avoiding that could transform your business?**

27/08/2025

One text message. 47 five-star reviews. Here's the exact strategy we used...

Last month, I got a panicked call from Mark, who owns a plumbing business.

"I'm pitching for the biggest contract of my career next week. The client said they always check Google reviews before making decisions. I have 8 reviews. My competitor has 60+. Can you help?"

We had 7 days to level the playing field.

Here's what we did:

The Setup:
Mark had completed 200+ jobs in the past 6 months. Happy customers, great work, but nobody had left reviews.

The Strategy:
Instead of starting from scratch, we reached out to recent customers who were most likely to respond quickly.

The Message:
"Hi [Name], Mark from ABC Plumbing here. Hope you're still happy with the work we did at [Address] last month. Would you mind taking 30 seconds to leave us a quick Google review? It really helps our small business. Here's the link: [Direct Google Review Link]. Thanks so much! - Mark"

Why This Worked:
✅ Personal (used their name and job details)
✅ Specific timeframe (30 seconds, not "quick")
✅ Direct link (no searching required)
✅ Personal touch (signed with his name)
✅ Perfect timing (recent enough to remember, long enough to see results)

The Results:
• Day 1: 8 reviews came in
• Day 2: 12 more reviews
• Day 3: 15 more reviews
• Day 4: 9 more reviews
• Day 5: 3 more reviews
• Total: 47 five-star reviews in 5 days

Mark got the contract.

But here's the thing - this was a one-time emergency strategy. Doing this manually every week would be exhausting.

The Real Solution:
We now have this same process running automatically for Mark. Every customer gets the perfect message at the perfect time, without him having to remember or chase anyone.

**When do you usually ask for reviews? Right after the job, or do you wait?**

20/08/2025

2,000 customers per month. 4 Google reviews total.

Something wasn't adding up.

When I first spoke to David, who runs a successful online pharmacy, he was frustrated. His business was thriving - 2,000+ happy customers every single month. But when potential customers searched for him on Google, they saw just 4 reviews.

His competitors? Some had 200+.

"My customers love us," he said. "But they never leave reviews. I don't have time to chase them, and my staff are too busy fulfilling orders."

Sound familiar?

Here's what we did:
✅ Set up our automated system (took 15 minutes of David's time)
✅ Started sending review requests 3 days after each purchase
✅ Followed up with gentle reminders for non-responders
✅ Handled any concerns before they became public complaints

The results after just 1month:
• 129 five-star Google reviews
• Jumped to #3 in local search results
• 10% increase in new customer inquiries
• Staff stress about reviews: eliminated

David called me last week: "I can't believe how simple this was. Why didn't I do this years ago?"

The truth? Most business owners think getting reviews is complicated. It's not. You just need the right system.

**If you have happy customers but few reviews, you're leaving money on the table. How many reviews does your business have right now?**

09/12/2022

Modern Marketing has become ridiculously over-complicated, and this naturally leads to hesitation & procrastination.

There is real POWER (and sales) in keeping things simple.

The secret is to focus on just 3 fundamentals that I will share with you on a free training that I'm hosting on Wednesday 14th December at 11-00 am.

During the training, I will show you how to get (at least) 20 warm, inbound enquiries every month, including...

>> The 3 biggest obstacles that prevent most businesses from maintaining a steady flow of leads

>> The only 2 B2B marketing channels that you need to focus on for the whole of 2023

>> How to automate an outreach campaign, introducing your business to dozens of ideal customers every day

>> How to automatically follow-up cold prospects, and turn them into warm enquiries

If you can make the time, on Wednesday 14th, at 11-00 am, please register your spot by going here: https://buff.ly/3haFcaB

P.S. This SIMPLE 3-step model will allow you to FINALLY break-through the 'Feast-then-Famine' sales cycle, and sign-up new customers and clients, consistently month after month.

I'll be sharing with you the results of many different businesses, including the following:

Client A - Travel industry - For every $1 invested, generated $19.39 in sales

Client B – Yoga & Pilates - For every £1 invested, generated £24.96 in sales

Client C – Financial Services - For every £1 invested, generated £9.83 in sales

Client D – Natural Therapy - For every £1 invested, generated £46.09 in sales

This exclusive demonstration is small-scale and personal, and only limited places are available, (for the growth-hungry, and open-minded).

Please follow this link to check availability for 11-00 am, 14th December:
https://buff.ly/3haFcaB

07/12/2022

This is just a quick heads-up, to say that if you're looking for better results from your marketing next year, the time to start preparing is NOW.

That's why, on Thursday 14th December @ 11-00 am, I'm hosting a FREE online demonstration to share with you my...

'3 Big Shifts' For Getting 20 Leads Every Month. Consistently.

These Shifts will open your eyes to the true potential for building your business, without being a slave to your marketing...
.. and I'll explain how to promote and grow your business in exactly the right place, where your best prospects are spending most time online.

I'll also reveal my 3-Phase ’20 Leads Every Month Model' to help you create a CONSISTENT flow of leads (and sales), from the first week of January onwards.

This exclusive training is available only to 2B business owners or professionals, so please follow this link to check availability for the 14th:
https://buff.ly/3haFcaB

P.S. Please note, this demonstration is not:

1. A brain-dump of academic theories and unproven ideas.

2. Some sort of sales ambush (there will be nothing to buy, so please leave your credit card behind).

It's a 25-minute training, full of practical tips and strategies – pure and simple.

If you want to discover exactly what changes you need to make in your marketing to generate all the enquiries you need, starting in January 2023, then please register for one the spots NOW, before they are all gone:
https://buff.ly/3haFcaB

01/12/2022

It’s easily overlooked, but I’d suggest that your primary business purpose is to provide the highest degree of the SERVICE, VALUE AND RESULT to every person or organization that ever comes into contact with you.

And when you change and re-engineer your business processes so that you can do this on a consistent basis – the vast majority of customers will appreciate and even revere you – AND CONTINUE TO BUY FROM YOU IN THE FUTURE.

These back-end purchases are where the true profit and growth potential of your business really lies.

But it all starts with achieving a powerful front-end acquisition strategy...

Instead of offering your complete, normal product or service in the first instance, think of how you can make just one aspect or facet or segment of your offering available for a fraction of the normal price.

Don’t focus on making your maximum income at the front-end.

Be content to gain new customers on a minimal margin, or for free on a break-even basis – and when the strategy proves itself, you can (and should) consider testing the difference it makes to further improve the appeal of your offer by making a small loss on the front end.

For examples to get you in the right POSSIBILITY MINDSET think of the Bank Ads offering free account set-up, that comes with free breakdown assistance and travel insurance.

Or take a look at the ads for the Book Clubs you’ll see in the Sunday colour supplements. These businesses know they are going to make a loss on the large numbers of customers who take up their amazing offers. But they also know that a small proportion of them will become loyal and long-standing customers, and this is where they make their considerable business profits.

Please don’t make the mistake of thinking “This strategy is alright from some companies but it wouldn’t work for us”. Have a go at writing down for your business at least six ideas on how you could put together a front-end, absolutely irresistible offer for part of your services or one of your products.

Don’t hold back – be as daring and bold and imaginative as you can be – once you have a good long list of ideas you can fine-tune them and select the best one to try first.

When you go out into the marketplace with an amazing front-end customer acquisition offer that your competitors dare not match, you will quickly grab a bigger slice of the cake from them, simply because they don’t understand the importance of Lifetime Value and will never have the nous to market accordingly.

29/11/2022

Tell me, does this statement strike a chord with you?:

“I know that when we get a new customer we are very good at delivering the service and results we promise, - and usually, we develop close relationships with our customers and clients -who continue to buy from us, often for many years to come. I just wish we could get more customers to try us in the first place!”

And you know your competitors are gaining their share of the market - and effectively taking customers away from you – even though you believe these customers are going to experience a poorer level of service and value than you provide!

So, you are faced with the fact that the largest proportion of every pound you invest in your advertising and marketing to acquire new customers falls on deaf or mistrusting ears because the majority still go an buy from your competition.

There is a very simple solution that not one in ten businesses truly understand, and even fewer actually apply....

If your business has grown and then plateaued at its current level for the last couple of years – and you feel you’ve gone as far as you can ever go, or if you are already expanding, but are hungry to grow your business even faster in the coming year, please pay attention to what I am about to say.

It’s the key to accessing the 90% of profits that your business is currently missing out on.

A fundamental marketing concept that most businesses completely overlook is that of Lifetime Value.

Simply put, the true value of acquiring a new customer is not just the income derived from their first purchase from you, but the total value of their purchases over the period that they continue doing business with you.

Lifetime Value = Average Annual Sales per Customer X No. of Years They Continue to Buy.

So you need to create two clearly defined and entirely different strategies to grow your business to the next level and beyond.

First, a front-end –customer acquisition– strategy

Second, a back-end –lifetime value - strategy

Understand that all the profit in almost any business is at the back end, not the front end.

But how do you begin to apply this critical strategy to your business?

The CRITICAL STEP at the front end is to make it so ABSOLUTELY IRRESISTIBLE to a targeted new customer or client to buy from you (or make an initial enquiry) for their very first time, that they find it IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO.

And when you do this, you will be stealing a greater share of the market from your competitors, compared to the status quo that exists in nearly all markets.

Now, every pound you invest in your customer acquisition activities will attract many times the numbers you probably currently experience to try your initial offering.

Let me know if you're already using this front-end, customer acquisition strategy in your business!

24/11/2022

Anyone looking to freshen up their home interior? Take a look at this:

08/11/2019

Feeling brave? Let me critique your web site for free...

A professional-looking web site might seem a priority for your Company, but good-looks don't often correspond with good profits. Here's why...

Not surprisingly, when you approach a web site designer, whose background is in graphic design, they are keen to design and build you a web site that looks great and is visually appealing.

The words and sales copy that you have written for your web pages are then handed to the designer, who fits them into the layout and design that he, or she, has created for you.

The primary concern of the web designer it to make the site look as good as possible. And that’s perfectly natural and understandable…

But have you ever bought a product or service simply because the web site looked good? Or was it more because of the messaging the site conveyed, that answered your questions, informed and educated you about your possible purchase, and reassured you that you were making the right choice? The graphic design of your site can achieve none of these things on its own!

Now don't get me wrong... a poorly designed web site with badly organised navigation and an awkward user experience will do a lot to undermine your enquiries, and can easily lose you sales...

But your web site has to be designed around the objectives and marketing strategies that will deliver the purpose of your site, which (in the big majority of cases) is to deliver enquiries and sales.

Would you like to know what it will take to drive more leads and sales from your web site?

If so, please nominate your web site for a free critique that I'll be doing next Wednesday 13th November, at 3-00 pm.

Simply go here to register your web site for a review: https://common-sense-marketing.lpages.co/web-site-reviews/

Alternatively, if your'e not quite ready to have your web site reviewed in public, but you'd like to learn the 7 key strategies that will transform the performance of almost any web site, then simply reserve your place for the live demo here: https://common-sense-marketing.lpages.co/web-site-reviews/

Richard Lomax Richard is Founder and CEO of Common-Sense-Marketing.com. He has helped hundreds of businesses radically improve their Customer Acquisition using web site marketing strategies that put YOU back in control of your business...