For a local shop, your Google review count is close to your marketing budget. More reviews means higher on Google Maps, which means more new customers finding you — a compounding loop that costs nothing.
The catch: happy customers almost never leave a review on their own, and asking face-to-face is awkward for everyone. The staff forget, the customer says "sure" and never does it.
The fix is timing and friction. The best moment to ask is right after a great visit, and the ask has to be one tap. A short, warm text a few minutes after they leave — "Thanks for coming in! If you're happy, a quick Google review really helps us 🙏" with a direct link to your review page — converts far better than any in-person ask, because it lands when they're happiest and takes five seconds.
Done consistently after every visit, that one habit quietly builds the review count that pulls in your next month of new customers. (And it's fully within Google's rules — the customer writes and posts it themselves; you just make it easy.)