Reviews are decided in the week after delivery, and the salesperson who asks every customer, plainly and once, ends up with more of them than the one who waits to be noticed.
Why reviews with your name matter
The store’s star average tells a buyer whether to visit the lot. Reviews that name you tell them who to ask for. A buyer who reads three recent reviews mentioning you arrives already trusting you, and that is a different conversation from an up.
When to ask
Two or three days after delivery, once the customer has told you they are happy with the car. Not at the desk while they are signing; not a month later when the feeling has faded. Say it in person at delivery so the text does not come out of nowhere: you will send a link, and a few honest words would help.
Ask every customer at the same point. Picking only the ones you expect to be happy is not allowed on Google, and it also leaves you blind to the problems you most need to hear about.
The exact words
Ask for honest words, never for five stars, and end with “thank you either way.” Send one nudge a week later if they said yes and did not get to it, and then stop. Thank them the day the review goes up.
The texts are in the reviews and referrals templates, the email version is in the email templates, and what to say at delivery is in the word tracks.
Where the reviews should go
Ask for one place, not three. For most salespeople that is a Google review of the dealership that mentions you by name, or DealerRater, where the customer picks the salesperson they worked with. Check what your store wants; many track one of the two.
Then put the best ones where buyers look for you: on your own page, in your bio, and in the first text you send a new lead. A review nobody reads before the visit only helps the store.
What the rules allow
- No paying for positive reviews. The FTC’s consumer reviews rule, in force since October 2024, bars incentives conditioned on a review being positive, and Google does not allow incentives for reviews at all.
- No review gating on Google: ask everyone, not just the customers you expect to be happy.
- No writing reviews for customers, and no reviews from friends or family posing as buyers.
- No pressuring anyone to change or remove a review. Fix the problem; whether they update it is up to them.
When a review is bad
Reply once, publicly, in two sentences: you are sorry it went that way, and here is how to reach you to fix it. Then call. Most unhappy customers want to be heard quickly by someone who can act. A calm public reply also tells every buyer who reads it how you handle a problem, which is half of what they wanted to know.
Examples of a good review for a car salesperson
For customers who ask what to write. Specific beats long: the name, the car, and one thing that went right. Share these if a customer asks for help, and let them use their own words.
Short and specific
“[Salesperson] found us the exact [Model] we wanted, had it ready when we got there, and had us out the door in under two hours. No games on price. Ask for [Salesperson].”
First-time buyer
“First car I've bought on my own and I was nervous. [Salesperson] explained every number on the sheet, never pushed, and texted me the next day to make sure I knew how everything worked.”
After a problem
“There was an issue with [the issue] after delivery. [Salesperson] answered the same day, got it fixed, and kept me posted the whole time. That's why I'd buy from them again.”
Trade-in
“[Salesperson] gave us a fair number on our trade without a runaround and showed us how they got there. Easy from start to finish.”
Questions
- What is a good review for a car salesman?
- A specific one. Name the salesperson, the car, and one thing they did: found the right vehicle, explained the numbers, kept a promise, fixed a problem. Two or three honest sentences help the next buyer more than a paragraph of praise.
- Where should I leave a review for a car salesperson?
- Wherever they ask. Most salespeople ask for a Google review of the dealership with their name in it, or a DealerRater review, where you can pick the salesperson you worked with. If they have their own page, they may ask for a few words there too.
- Can a car salesperson offer something for a review?
- Be careful. The FTC's rule on consumer reviews bars offering anything in exchange for a review that is conditioned on it being positive, and Google's policy does not allow incentives for reviews at all. Ask for honest words and offer nothing for them.
- Can I only ask happy customers for a review?
- Not on Google. Its policy prohibits selectively asking for positive reviews, which is called review gating. Ask everyone you delivered a car to, at the same point in the process, and fix problems when you hear about them.
- How many reviews does a car salesperson need?
- Enough that a buyer sees recent ones with your name in them. Ten from the last few months does more than fifty from three years ago. Asking every customer, every time, gets most salespeople there within a season.