Google Reviews didn’t exist in 1999 when I bought out my boss and took over as a 25-year-old owner and operator of a little Polaris and Suzuki dealership in Rexburg, Idaho.
Today, hundreds of millions of reviews are posted every year, and Google has become the #1 review platform in the world. In fact, 83% of U.S. consumers say they use Google to evaluate local businesses before deciding where to go.
Launched in 2007 inside Google Maps, Google Reviews started as a simple way for customers to leave feedback. In the early days, Google tried using Zagat’s 30-point rating scale—but by 2014, they switched to the 5-star system we all know today. It was easier, faster, and more familiar for customers—and it stuck.
If you’re in the dealership world, that means nearly every customer is walking through your doors already carrying the weight of your Google reputation.
As a former dealer, I carry the reputation of Google ghosts past; Google applied the 5-star review system retroactively. Fourteen years ago, a customer visited my dealership and had a bad day because we delivered a 1-star performance.
Reviews like this are a kick in the gut to dealership managers. However, Topher was right. Perception is reality for a customer.
You may have been frustrated with a bad review that seemed unfair or exaggerated. But bad reviews can be invaluable as they unlock clues to breakdowns in the system. Bad reviews identify gaps in the dealership process or adherence to dealerships processes. Getting the right processes in place is really hard, but it is foundational to consistently providing great customer experiences. After that, it’s all about execution.
My General Sales Manger fourteen years ago would say that bad customer experience is a result of one of two problems:
“It’s either a knowing-problem or a doing-problem.”
Dealership training gives employees the knowledge and tools they need to succeed—but without application, that knowledge often fades. Coaching bridges the gap by turning training into action, providing accountability for execution and reinforcing behavior change. Through regular check-ins, feedback, and support, coaching ensures that what was learned in training is actually applied on the job, driving real performance improvement.
Since I sold out of Rexburg Motorsports 10 years ago, I’ve become an adoring customer. I get excited to see what’s new or to get a fresh set of tires mounted and balanced. The customer-facing team is awesome, even heroic at times. There’s a mix of experienced and new employees, both young and old. They constantly go above and beyond.
My old dealership now has over 1,000 Google Reviews. In the past 10 years, they’ve been hit with eighty-four 1-star reviews. They’ve also received over two hundred 5-star reviews in the past year alone. As a customer, one of those is my review. They're better than ever.
Here’s a recent Google Review highlighting a great customer experience and the customer service that everyone is raving about.
Surely based on this and many other Google reviews, Tyler is the antithesis of one-star, “rude and inept” service. He’s helpful and skilled at providing the “best sales experience”. This skill comes at a cost. He’s well trained and practices to constantly improve his skills. He follows a dealership process designed to provide great customer experiences. And behind the scenes is a manager that cares, providing regular coaching along the way. This is how dealers become heroes to their customers.
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