I used to get physically sick the day the Arbitron/Nielson ratings were released. The science behind the rating process was pretty sketchy at best. So, I never felt completely calm when those numbers would come out. In radio, we called the ratings, the numbers.

Our goal was to be the #1 rated non-ethnic morning show in the city. (I don’t think they make that distinction anymore) We competed against Rock stations, Classic Rock, Easy Listening, Jazz, Sports, Talk, Gospel, Pop, and we were Country.

If we were in the top 3 it meant the radio station could get ad buys from major corporations like Coke, Pepsi, Ford, etc. If you’re out of the top 3...not so much.

It also meant the station could charge more money for each commercial that aired on the station.

It also meant that record companies would offer bigger and better promotions for their artists.

Winning in the ratings was better than gold because it provided so much more than just extra revenue.

Oh, did I mention the bonuses the air talent would get? Let’s just say one bonus paid for a sunroom we had built on our home.

I used to think it was so unfair that radio and tv stations were the only industry that had to deal with ratings. As I said, it used to stress me out like crazy. I puked once from being so nervous.

In the late ’90s, restaurants started getting Zagat ratings. Wooo Hooo! Now other businesses could begin to enjoy that sickening experience of waiting for the ratings to be released.

Soon Yahoo, Google, Yelp, Facebook, and hundreds of other sites began to allow consumers the chance to rate local businesses on the experience they had with them.

Why are ratings and reviews important?

If you were looking for a medspa, weight loss clinic, or monkey training business, which one would you choose?

Burying your head in the sand and pretending that ratings don’t matter is dangerous.

The good news is, if you’re staying close to your customers, the ratings, reviews, and testimonials almost take care of themselves.

When you have your system in place that helps people to know like and trust you, it’s GOLD!

Ratings help to get people to say yes to your solutions by removing feelings of doubt or mistrust about you in the minds of people that need your solutions.

If you want a FREE strategy to get more people to say yes to your solutions, go to https://GetMoreYes.com

Thank you for listening.