Hey — welcome to the first one. I'm Lee, and I'll keep these short.
Here's what this is: about once a month I'll send you one small, practical idea — owner to owner — that you can actually use to bring in more customers or win back a little of your time. My goal with these notes is to share practical ideas that help small business owners spend less time fighting technology and more time serving customers. No jargon, no twelve-step funnels, no pitch. If it takes longer than five minutes to read, I did it wrong.
Here's this month's:
Ask for the review before they leave.
Not that night in a text they'll forget to open. Not next week when the moment's gone. Right there — while they're still in the chair, looking in the mirror, happy with what you just did.
Here's why it's worth the tiny bit of awkward: 75% of people read reviews before they choose a local business (BrightLocal). Your reviews are your reputation working for you around the clock — even while you sleep. The catch is that almost nobody leaves one on their own. Not because they're unhappy — but because the second they walk out the door, life moves on.
So catch them at the peak. Something like: "Hey — if you've got ten seconds, it'd really help me out if you left a quick review. I'll text you the link right now." Then actually text the link, right then, while they're standing there. I've seen this make a real difference.
It's a small habit that adds up over time — and it's about the cheapest marketing you'll ever run: free, and written in your customer's words instead of yours.
That's the letter. If you try this, I'd genuinely like to hear how it worked for you — every reply helps me understand what other business owners are experiencing, and it often inspires future issues. Just reply to the email; a real person (me) reads them.
— Lee