Partnering with HelpHound

Most B2B businesses will tell you - publicly or privately - that many (most?) of their best customers come thanks to referrals from their business contacts*. So if you run a business, current client of HelpHound or not - please read on.

*business contacts: we don't expect referrals from direct competitors, obviously, but most of our successful referrals come from either businesses in the same line of work but in a different geographical area or the referring business's professional advisors, including marketing, advertising and PR agencies.

Going from Zero to Hero as these two businesses have done (the one on the left had two reviews on joining HelpHound, the one on the right none at all, showing great faith!) is not the only reason a business joins HelpHound. Others include compliance - it comes as a surprise to some that it is illegal to hand-pick customers to invite to write reviews in the UK - and SEO (a good flow of reviews through your own site boosts that considerably), to star ratings in local search (very highly valued by most of our clients)

This screenshot shows precisely what HelpHound aims to achieve for all our clients - leading in map and organic search, with a great score from a convincing number of reviews, as well as the 'stars in search' derived from the business's own reviews under its organic listing (many people think those stars in search are 'awarded' by Google, when they are drawn - by Google - from the reviews hosted on the business's own website

Criteria for partnership

The key to recommending a business is that there should be no, or at the very least minimal**, downside for the referring or the referred business. 

**While HelpHound provides the best review management available globally (that we are aware of), we cannot, and should not, make promises regarding the elimination of negative reviews. UK law currently - and rightly - prohibits such activity anyway, and there will always be the tiny minority of consumers who are determined to wilfully misunderstand what a business has done for them. We have operated in this 'real world' for well over a decade now, and our own statistics show that over 97 per cent of erroneous reviews are addressed before they ever reach the public web.

Let us put this in the context of HelpHound, first for the referred business...

• HelpHound is demonstrably the best at what it does - it achieves better outturns, in terms of improved Google scores, flow of reviews and quality of reviews, than any other operator in the review management sector - provably

• Everything HelpHound does - and everything HelpHound advises its clients to do - is in compliance with UK (and EU) law

• Every review that flows through HelpHound is moderated for...

• intelligible English, both spelling and grammar 
• factual accuracy 
• potentially misleading comments

And all of this enables HelpHound to...    

• Guarantee success - positively and unequivocally, from day 1 - and no single client has yet invoked that guarantee. The businesses you refer will...

• look better in terms of Google score - 4.9*** is our aim
• increase their flow of reviews to Google
• have a positive flow of reviews to their own website - massively enhancing social proof, click-through and SEO
• enjoy 'stars in search' - see above
• be compliant with the CMA regulations

***very occasionally, we need to advise a business to modify its CRM before embarking on review management. Our moderation is designed to eliminate, as far as the regulations allow, factually inaccurate, potentially misleading and sometimes just plain unfair reviews. It is not, and never should be, seen as a mechanism for a business whose CRM is deficient to deflect fairly held negative opinions. 

So: your valuable business contacts will be safe in our hands. No comebacks and definitely no backlash. Our aim is for them to all feel eternally grateful that you introduced us, day in day out, year in year out, from day one.

Now, for you - our partner (and the referring business)...

We are completely open in terms of remuneration: our referring businesses receive...

• 25% of any initial charges we make to the referred business 

• 25% of the first annual charges we make to the referred business

• 10% of any subsequent fees charged - for the lifetime of the referral (our first referrer is currently approaching year 10 of such fees)

An example of a single-location business: fees paid to the referring business:

Total fees paid to referrer in year 1 =         £ 1,171

In subsequent years =                               £  735

Referring one business a month - fees at the end year 1 = £14,052

The kind of business that benefits most from HelpHound's service...

It might help if we turn that question on its head: what kind of business benefits least?

• online retailers: if all the business needs are star ratings for the products it sells, there are far better alternatives

• monopolies: unless they really care about their customers - and by 'really care' we mean that they respond to every one of their Google reviews in a timely manner, then it's a 'no' for them as well

So it's service and professional businesses, those that seriously rely on their reputations, both in the wider community and online, in order to thrive...

• legal
• medical
• financial

...and related businesses: accountancy, recruitment, estate agency and so on (not to mention businesses in marketing, PR and advertising!). And subsets of these businesses, depending on their current presence online...

• Businesses with few Google reviews

• Businesses that have flouted the law to get Google reviews (it's surprising how many do - usually unwittingly)

• Businesses that have been 'sold' a review website

• Businesses that have been 'sold' reputation management 

and most of all...

• Businesses that have not yet found a safe way to engage with reviews

Now for the $64,000 question

Can HelpHound reassure us, the referring business, that the businesses we refer will benefit, at the bare minimum, by the fees they will be charged? In other words: can you be sure that HelpHound membership will be profitable for them?

The simple answer is 'If we analyse the business referred and consider that we cannot add value by at least the amount charged, we will advise both you and the referred business.'  

But let us add some numbers - here is a separate article focused on concrete results - and since it refers to an estate agency, let us extrapolate that in terms of hard cash. With an average house price in London of £700,000, and an agency fee of 1.5%, that equates to a fee of £10,500. So one extra transaction a year earns this particular business more than two and a half times HelpHound's initial fee and well over three times our fee from year two onwards. 

An extra reassurance is that we are fully aware that should HelpHound not add value for the referred business, the referrer will soon know, and we will have put the continued flow of referrals at risk. We are here to ensure 100% win/win for all parties.

Our suggestion

You select a single business with which you have built up a trusted relationship. Talk to them and highlight the fact that you have found the following...

1. A safe and secure way to guarantee a steady flow of great reviews - to their own website (SEO and social proof) and Google (score and stars in search)
2. That is guaranteed to work

And then simply send them an email copied to us - info@helphound.com

We will do the rest. We look forward to making the first bank transfer!

Reviews for sensitive and complex businesses - a deep dive

First, let us define what we mean by a 'sensitive' business, or rather let this potential client define it for us...

"If you are going to ask us to invite all of our customers to write a review, then the answer has to be a definite 'No'. It would be far too high-risk a strategy for a business like ours."

And they would be quite right. Businesses such as those providing professional services such as financial, healthcare, legal and the like, can be extremely complex, and as a result aspects can be easily misconstrued. This can lead to misunderstandings that are bound to be perpetuated in reviews. And such reviews can seriously harm a business. The following is just one example (albeit with an extreme outcome)...

If you have any doubts about this, please read the full story of the firm of solicitors that were being so seriously (and quantifiably) damaged by this single ill-founded negative review that they took the reviewer to court (and won damages - 'won', when you read the full sorry tale, is not really the right word for what happened subsequently).

Fears, well-founded as they are, quite understandably lead businesses in the sensitive and complex sectors mentioned above to either...

• avoid engaging with reviews altogether or...

• flout the law - the CMA regulations - and cherry-pick customers they know for certain will write a 5* review

So what, exactly, is HelpHound's role in this apparently unresolvable conundrum? Between 'going for it' and risking your business's reputation* in the quest for a great Google score and all the business you know such a glowing image in search can drive through your door and 'burying your head' and missing out on that gold rush? Read on.

*'risking your reputation': the CMA has sharp teeth - and is on the case of businesses flouting their regulations - but far more likely is a business noticing that a competitor is cherry-picking and using that fact against it to win business.

Lifting the bonnet 

We have a deep understanding the above-mentioned CMA regulations, as you might expect from a business that has been intimately involved with all aspects of online reviews - Google and otherwise - for well over a decade now. 

The two golden keys to effective review management, especially for sensitive businesses, are firstly: to understand the fundamental difference between...

• inviting all of your customers to write a review and... 

• ...allowing all of your customers to write a review

The former would be fine in an ideal world, where every consumer understood precisely what every business was attempting to achieve for them and exactly how.

Fortunately, the regulators recognise that this ideal world does not exist in reality, which is why the second of the above - enabling all of your customers to write a review - applies, in the UK at least.

...and the second of these golden keys?...

• moderation - the act of employing an independent body to mediate with customers who may write a factually inaccurate or potentially misleading review, pre-publication

Combine this seemingly innocuous button on the business's website...

...with what happens immediately after anyone posts a review...

1. The review arrives in HelpHound's internal inbox
2. The review is read by a HelpHound moderator
3. Basic errors of spelling and grammar are corrected
4. If our moderator suspects the review contains any errors of fact or potentially misleading statements, they immediately engage, privately, with the reviewer and, if necessary, the business
5. The corrected review* is then published on the business's own website
6. The reviewer is then asked to copy their review to Google 

*In over 97 per cent of cases, the reviewer either corrects their review or asks for it to be deleted altogether. To be in compliance with the CMA regulations, it is essential that customers are allowed to post whatever review they wish - providing, of course, that it does not contravene UK laws of libel, for instance.

There you have it:  the most watertight review management service on the planet. Your business can confidently go about asking for reviews from selected customers, safe in the knowledge that it is compliant with the law and safe from misinformed, as well as simply plain unfair reviews.

One final point: we guarantee results - see here. But we obviously cannot guarantee that no negative reviews will ever appear, for one of two reasons:

• Businesses do make mistakes: in that case, it is always our advice to apologise and move on, whilst pointing out that mistakes, as evidenced by the business's overwhelmingly positive reviews, are extremely rare occurrences and confirming what restitution is being made (for the benefit of those reading the review)

When this client joined it had 2 Google reviews and none on its own website. As you can see, it now has over 500 Google reviews (and well over 700 on its own website); during that time it has averaged one 1* review a year. A typical outturn for a well-managed business.

• Occasionally, a customer will bypass whatever systems you put in place, but in these rare instances a HelpHound client will always have the moral high ground; they are able to say, in their written response to the negative review, that the customer always had the opportunity to write a review by visiting the company's website - and, again, they are able to reference the business's positive reviews

Conclusion

The process we describe above has been tested and refined over fourteen years. It works. It has enabled businesses in extremely sensitive areas to thrive, attracting enquiries from the web in volume. Not all of these clients have been able to amass hundreds of reviews, such is their sensitivity. Here is one final example...

No - nil - Google reviews when this business joined

We would encourage you to google the Harper Clinic - a women's health clinic in Harley Street - and read some of their reviews. If they can amass nearly 50 reviews, in compliance with the law, from women seeking such an intensely private service, just imagine what HelpHound can do for your business, however 'sensitive and complex' it may be?

Further reading

We hope this article has covered everything you need to know to take the first step towards putting your business's review management on a secure professional footing. The following articles explain everything in even more detail, but by far the best 'next step' is to speak/meet with us so we can answer all your questions in precise relation to your own business.

• Compliance

• Results

• Moderation

• Fees and charges - and our guarantee of success 

Google reviews - eliminating the risk

Despite what their marketing may say - the review sites now play second fiddle to Google, big time. Google dominates...

• in search
• in visibility
• in credibility
• in its power to drive business towards those businesses that look great in search 

The only problem, from a business's point-of-view, is that it cannot control what its customers will say when they come to write their review. 'Quite right, that's where Google's credibility comes from' we hear some of the more savvy of our readers say. And they are quite right. And that's where HelpHound comes in.

Eliminating the risk inherent in inviting Google reviews: Step 1

90 per cent of reviews are fine. They are positive - 4 or 5 stars - and they don't contain factual inaccuracies or misleading statements likely to either mislead another potential customer or do damage to the business. But the one in ten? Ouch! 

90 per cent would be a great pass mark in any exam, but in the world of reviews it's a definite fail. If one in ten of a business's reviews rate it - unfairly - at 1 out of 5, then it is going to suffer... 

• when compared to its competitors
• when potential clients click on 'lowest' and read many of those ' 1 in 10' reviews

Any business that wants reviews to work for it will need to be scoring 4.8 at a minimum and preferably 4.9. To put that into numbers: the business needs 49 out of 50 of its reviews to score it 5 stars. A few months ago we published '4.9 is the new 4.5' and we were deadly serious. In 2020 a Google score of 4.5 would cut the mustard. No longer.

For readers who have a 'perfect business'

We hear you. And we know businesses just like yours. You have highly effective management, wonderful staff and checks and balances in place to ensure your clients/patients/investors are always completely happy with whatever service you provide for them.

But every time we meet such a business we ask one simple question: 'Are all your customers perfect?' And that question always - invariably - elicits the answer 'Most. But - turning to a colleague - what about Mrs X and Mr Y, and a few others. I wouldn't want any of them writing a review of our service.'

That's where HelpHound comes in. By law, in the UK, you cannot allow all your customers except the 'Mrs X and Mr Ys' to write a review. You must - again we stress: by law - allow all of your customers to write a review.

By now you will be seeing where we are headed - after all we have nearly 15 years doing nothing but this - the key word here is 'allow'. Look at this screenshot of a client's mobile website...

It contains all you need to collect reviews safely (for the business and the consumer - very few people really want an inaccurate or misleading review published for all to see) and in compliance with UK law:

1. The 'Write a Review' button does what it says: it allows anyone to simply click and write a review - to the business's own website. This ensures compliance with the CMA regulations and allows our moderators and the business to interact with any reviews (and their authors) that may contain factual inaccuracies or potentially misleading comments before the reviewer is asked to post their review to Google.
2. Any prospective customer can click on the number of reviews - or the 'more' button - to read as many of them as they wish.
3. See the number of reviews? 710. For a single branch of an estate agency. And the score? The vital 4.9.

Eliminating the risk inherent in inviting Google reviews: Step 2

Now, you're asking: 'What about Google'? We are delighted to show you...

When they joined HelpHound? 2 Google reviews. Everyone who writes a review to the business's website is automatically asked to copy their review - after it has been moderated - to Google

We advise most businesses, at least initially, to invite reviews to their own website in the first instance. This allows our moderators to perform their essential function - challenging those inaccurate and potentially misleading reviews and reviewers pre-publication (there's a full description of the process here). A typical benchmark might be 100 Google reviews before we advise the business to implement what we call our 'Multi' invitation - asking the customer to write both a review to the business's website and to Google at the same time.

So - what do we have here?

We have the only safe and secure method for businesses to absolutely minimise the risk inherent in engaging with reviews. No ifs, not buts. Guaranteed. Speak to us and we'll tell you exactly what your own business can expect.

HelpHound - proof of concept

How many businesses pitch to you without it? Whether face-to-face, on their website or in an email, you are left saying 'Yes, I get it, but please can you prove it will work for my business?'

The simplest answer we can provide our clients is...

Never - not once - has this guarantee been invoked

...but we appreciate you might like a little more if you have never witnessed HelpHound in action before, so here we go:

1. Before we begin working for you, both parties will agree on the following...

• a target Google score (normally 4.9 unless there are special circumstances*)

• a target number of reviews - in absolute terms 

• a target number of reviews - monthly

• a point-of-contact within the client business - in each of your business locations if deemed necessary

• the wording of the initiating email inviting the review(s)**

• a method of successfully inviting reviews to both the business's own website - thereby enabling the reviews to be moderated - and then to Google that fits in with the business's daily routine

• whether or not it is recommended to invite reviews to the business's own website and Google at the same time, either from the outset or at some future date (if the latter is the case, a target Google score will be agreed)

*'special circumstances': good businesses can often have unusually low Google scores, sometimes because they haven't engaged or have engaged in the wrong way - using a reviews site, for just one instance, can often result in dissatisfied customers unfairly dominating a business's image on Google. We will have identified if this is the case before we speak for the first time. If so, both parties may well agree on intermediate targets on the way to the final objective.

**review(s)*: depending on the business's precise circumstances, we will advise whether the initial customer review should be invited to the business's website, to Google or both simultaneously. Whatever is decided at the outset will be kept constantly under review.

Besides resting secure in the knowledge that your business has now adopted a legally-compliant*** and safe - safe from factually inaccurate, potentially misleading or just plain unfair reviews on both your own website and on Google - method of inviting and displaying reviews. There will be other valuable benefits...

***So many businesses currently look great only because they are flouting the CMA's core regulations, commonly the one that forbids cherry-picking 'happy' customers and then only inviting those to write a review. There are two reasons to stop doing that: the first is that the business's management and staff will sleep far more easily in their beds at night, and the second is that the business will no longer be handing its competitors an 'Of course they look great, but then they are breaking the law...' stick to beat it with. There is a third reason - the benefits of adopting professional review management are much the same as those for adopting any other kind of professional advice (legal, accountancy etc.): it enables the business to get on with its core service

• an uplift in the rate of enquiries through the business's website...

This feed tells anyone visiting the business's website that it has received over 700 reviews (and allows them to read as many as they want), just about all of them rating the business the maximum 5 stars; that there is nothing preventing anyone from writing a review, reinforcing both transparency and credibility (see the 'write a review' button next to the number of reviews) and enables them to understand our role in the process ('What is HelpHound?')

• an uplift in the rate of enquiries - clicks and calls - through Google and an improvement in the business's overall SEO - measured by an improvement in the business's ranking in Google local search and its appearance in all kinds of map searches

We don't need to tell you that looking great in Google search is crucial these days. Our role is to enable our clients to get as close as they possibly can to the Holy Grail: leading search, both organic and map, with the highest score and the most reviews. That way, they will feature on any potential customer's shortlist. Your business will also have the crucial social proof needed to reinforce all its other marketing efforts, from advertising and public relations to referrals

        

To Summarise

Don't join HelpHound until we can prove to you - beyond a reasonable doubt, as the saying goes - that we will add value, both in terms of added professionalism but most important of all, to your business's bottom line.

Further reading

Look closely at this client of ours - leading local organic search; and unlike four of its competitors, not needing to spend £thousands a month on Google Ads. What else do you see? A score of 4.9 from 734 reviews? Not Google reviews this time, but the reviews on their own website - can you put a value on those gold stars in search for your business? We hope so

1. Results - estate agency, where enquiries and instructions both rose along with a measurable increase in the quality of business transacted. And the medical profession - and one of the most sensitive specialisations at that. If we can do it for both of these kinds of business we can do it for yours. Without appearing to state the obvious, when you are reading about what we have helped these businesses achieve, please imagine where your business will be with similar assistance.

2. Our guarantee - and our fees, nothing hidden, no surprises plus a reward for success

3. There are nearly a thousand articles on here, so feel free to interrogate this blog for just what you need. Alterntively speak to us and we'll share some of our decade plus experience with review management of all and every kind for all and every kind of business. Challenge us: we relish the opportunity to earn our clients' approbation.