Habits change into character. -Ovid

I like to organize my workweek into chunks – Marketing Monday, Webinar Wednesday, Follow Up Friday, etc.

These habits help me organize my time and make sure everything gets done.

And one of those things that I always “mean to do” but don’t manage to actually do unless I make time for it, is to write recommendations and endorsements. So I have made a habit of writing at least two recommendations or endorsements on the last Friday of the month.

I have been VERY lucky in the quality of people I have in my life, family, friends, vendors, suppliers, and clients. And I honestly believe that you get more of what you notice, cultivate, and put energy into.

Writing recommendations, reviews or endorsements is an opportunity to do just that.

Catch people doing something good!

And unless I make a habit of it, it tends to NOT get done, despite my best intentions.

One thing I’ve noticed since I’ve started doing this regularly, is that it’s always at the back of my mind. And it’s a GOOD thing to have at the back of my mind – we are often looking for things that vendors or suppliers or clients are doing WRONG, not what they’re doing right. And we tend to look for things to complain about, rather than things to praise.

And once it’s a habit, I usually have several fully-formed ideas in my head when it comes time to sit down and write endorsements.

So, this is an opportunity to pour a little love on the people and companies we work with!

Use whatever platform you’re most familiar and comfortable with, it will certainly be appreciated! And there’s nothing wrong with copying the same review to more than one place.

Three Reasons to Write Reviews and Endorsements

You have an opportunity to express gratitude in a meaningful way that truly helps the business you’re endorsing or recommending!
You’re more likely to GET reviews and endorsements. Not necessarily from where you gave them! (This is not a quid-pro-quo scenario!) But don’t be shy about asking for a recommendations at an appropriate point in your business relationships!
It’s a great mindset exercise to reinforce seeing the good in your business community.

What to Write in a Good Review?

Leaving five stars is nice, but detailed reviews are MUCH More helpful and appreciated.

Some of us struggle with what to write, so here are a few ideas:

Be Detailed and Specific. Of all the people and companies you’ve interacted with this week, why are you choosing to spend the time to write a review about THIS person or company? What happened that made you think of them?
Be Honest. Don’t say that EVERYTHING this company does is perfect if you’ve only had one interaction or transaction with them. Stick with what you know personally about them. I often write reviews of students in our courses – I don’t know EVERYTHING about their professional life, but I can speak to their abilities in a specific area.
Include photos. Especially if you’re reviewing a business that you’ve been to in person (an airport, FBO, or MRO facility) a photo of your plane being worked on, or of the caterers or ramp people “doing their thing,” customer generated photos are even more valuable and credible addition to your review.
John and Mike working on Charlie’s starter engine at Million Air, SLC. Mike was incredibly helpful and transparent, and unlike most places, Million Air let aircraft owners into the maintenance hangar to see what they were doing, and even showed us how to prevent the problem in the future!