At the beginning of the year, I realized I was a “taker.” You see, I often used platforms like Yelp and Trip Adviser to get information on restaurants, hotels, and golf courses. I decided that if I was going to take advantage of the information left by others, I needed to become a “giver” of information, too.

Last week on my annual golf outing, I reviewed all the golf courses we played. They were all very favorable because they are outstanding courses. A few days after, I received a memo from the last course we played at Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage. They thanked me for my review, expressed happiness for my experience, and welcomed me back the next time I am in town.

I’ve posted at least a dozen new reviews since the start of the year, and that is the very first reply I’ve received from anyone. I know these platforms are important to the businesses I mentioned because they prove critical to bringing in new patrons. It’s so easy to do, yet why is it that so few actually take the time to respond to both good and bad reviews?

Are you doing the same in your business? Do you go out of your way to thank your clients and customers when given your own “reviews?” Do you make it easy to do business with you, and even easier to do more? I will go back to Mission Hills when I return in part because of their reply. People will come back and do business with you because of your response to them.

So ask yourself, are you paying attention to your reviews? If not, you might want to start today and find out what kind of an impact it will have on your business.

© 2015 Toro Consulting Inc. All Rights Reserved