Lawn crews have a special problem. You do great work, but the customer is often at work when you finish. There is no counter and no handshake. So nobody asks for a review.
The fix: ask every customer, the same way, every time you finish a job. Here is how to do it when you can't ask face to face.
1. Get your review link
Open your Google Business Profile. Choose Ask for reviews and copy the link. It often starts with g.page/r/.
This link opens the review box right away. The customer doesn't have to search for you.
2. Ask when the yard looks its best
The best time is the day the work is done, while the yard looks fresh:
- Right after a first cut, a cleanup, or a new install.
- When you text "All done for today."
- When you send the bill.
For weekly mowing, you don't need to ask every week. Ask once after the first few visits, and again after big jobs like a fall cleanup.
3. Leave the ask behind
- Door hanger or leave-behind card: Print the QR card and add it to your door hanger. The customer points their phone camera at it and lands on your review page.
- Text when you finish: Send a short note from your work phone. A photo of the finished yard helps. For example:
Hi Pat, your yard is all done for today. Thanks for choosing Green Street Lawn! If you have a minute, would you leave us an honest Google review? It really helps a small crew like ours: g.page/r/your-link
- On the truck: A QR card in the truck window lets neighbors find you too.
4. Ask everyone, not just the happy ones
Google's rules say a business must not pick and choose who gets asked. Some tools first ask "How did we do?" and only send happy people to Google. That is called review gating, and Google doesn't allow it.
Ask every customer the same way. You may get an honest bad review now and then. That is normal. A calm reply that fixes the problem can win more trust than a perfect score.
5. Never pay for reviews
Don't offer a free mow, a discount, a raffle entry, or anything else for a review. Google doesn't allow rewards for reviews, even honest ones.
Also skip:
- Asking for "5 stars" by name. Ask for an "honest review" instead.
- Writing reviews for customers, or having your crew review you.
- Asking the same person over and over. Once or twice a season is plenty.
6. Reply to every review
Thank people by name for good reviews. Mention the job if you can, like "Glad the new mulch beds look good!" For a bad one, stay calm, say sorry, and offer to come back and make it right.