Making the Most of a Negative Review

SEND IN THE LEMONS

… make lemonade.

Few things are more humbling in our business lives than receiving a negative review.  Like most things, it’s not so much the event as it is how we deal with the aftermath.  We’ve assembled a few suggestions to hopefully help you weather this inevitable storm and to realize there is good that can be taken from a negative review.  From evaluation to recognition to resolution, here is a mini-guide to helping all involved feel better!

Give me five.  Reacting immediately to a negative critique is the equivalent of taking the club from your reviewer’s hands and hitting yourself over the head.  Brilliant financier Warren Buffett was once asked what was the greatest piece of business advice he had ever been given.  Without hesitation, he said he was once advised:  “Remember, Warren:  There’s always tomorrow to tell someone to (take a leap)!” 

Whether you have read feedback online or actually have endured a face-to-face unhappy camper, your long-term best response is to step away from the keyboard or, if you are confronted in person, simply say, “I appreciate you’re taking the time to share your thoughts.  I’ll certainly think about all that you’ve said.”   Ask for their number or email address so that you can follow-up.

Really?  Here’s the part where we get our coffee and close our door.  It’s also the part where our conclusion determines our next step.  Was your receptionist honestly rude?  Was your promised delivery time missed by a mile?  Was your floral arrangement prepared with white carnations when they ordered red roses?  Could you really have served breaded rubber bands and saved the cost of fresh calamari? 

We always fry it for three minutes.  Determining if the criticism is valid really is the first step to resolution.  Have you had complaints before about Sally at the front desk?  Has your delivery service been late getting to your shop for a pick-up? 

Here’s how we know:  Take a listen to how Sally approaches your customers.  Are there times when she’s swamped and gets a little snippy?  Pull that floral order.  Could you have read it wrong?  Try the calamari. 

Squeeze the Lemons.  First, right the cause of the wrong, if there was one.  Change delivery services or put them on notice.  The front desk is a hectic mess and Sally really could use some back-up during rush times.  You didn’t read the description of the arrangement – only the item number.   The difference between the “5” and the “3” was … well, roses vs. carnations.  Have each order double-checked (not by Sally!) to be certain the description matches the product.  The new fryer runs hotter – looks like it’s now only two minutes for the calamari.
 
Pour the Lemonade.  Perhaps the most important strategy of all in winning the war against negative comments is to respond in the same venue as the critique was first given.  If you received unflattering feedback via social media, respond both on your Facebook/Web page and to the individual.  Keep it very, very brief.   If the comment was a valid criticism, thank them for their input and explain the changes you’ve made.  (Keep in mind, if Sally had to go … this isn’t the place to announce it!)  If the critique wasn’t valid, then the simple response thanking them for their input, along with a little blurb about how your customers are valued partners, works best.  (Because it’s true.) 

Customers will remember how you resolved their problem longer than they will remember the problem.  A refund for the floral arrangement, totally your fault, is in order.   An apology?  Those always come from you – you are after all the name on the door.  A nasty server, unpleasant customer service representative – or even Rude Sally – shouldn’t be the ones to apologize to the customer for that is the very best way to unleash an Armageddon-sized can of worms.  Offering a gift card is a great way to ask for a second chance to do it right.  The next appetizer is on us! 

Just remember that the worst possible mistake is doing nothing.  Even if you feel the critique is thoroughly unjustified, responding will mitigate the damage! 

Now, pass the calamari!

"In the world of Internet Customer Service, it’s important to remember your competitor is only one mouse click away."   Doug Warner

... or a call away, a block away, an advertised sale away ...  

Although Mr. Warner may be referring to internet customer service the truth is that, whether we're clicking it or walking it, Main Street is bigger than ever.  Even savvy business owners can no longer be confident that their customers are captive audiences, as theirs' isn’t the only game in town.  Customer service is more important than ever.  It not only keeps one's customers coming back, but it's often the linchpin for drawing new customers through the door. 

Here are a few basic rules to not only draw new customers, but new-to-you customers!

To thine own self be true.  Bill Shakespeare must have owned a small book store!  Remember when all this began?  Remember your great idea, your enthusiasm for the products you carry or the service you provide?  Get back there!  Being true to your mission statement, true to your dream, will instantly provide a certain level of service that your customers will feel, respond to and (better yet) spread the word about.  Trite but true:  Your business is a clear reflection of who you are.  When people feel comfortable with you, they feel comfortable working with you.

Whatever you are, be a good one.  If you are the Mom and Pop diner with your storefront nestled between the florist and the hardware store, don't try to be the shiny new giant Starbucks down the street.  Know that there is a service you provide that can't be -- and isn't being -- duplicated by a competitor.  Know your niche and embrace it rather than putting your efforts into becoming something else.  Abe Lincoln's homespun wisdom seemed to work for him!

Would Macy's tell Gimble's ....?  Run your own race, but keep your eyes open.  When seeking to draw (and you should seek to draw!) clients who are unhappy with the service a competitor is offering, first take a look at what exactly that service is.  Do your research.  Pull some of your competitors' brochures.  Visit their web sites.  How are you the same and where do you differ?  How can you differ?  What client-base isn't being served?  Armed with your competitors' marketing strategies, it will be easier to see what's worked and what hasn't. 

Make new friends, but keep the old!  There is little that frustrates a long-time customer more than finding your storefront emblazoned with a banner offering special discounts to new customers.  Should you advertise to welcome them?  Absolutely!  That being said, you may want to herald in your campaign targeting new customers at the same time you offer a customer appreciation celebration.  Want a little more bang for your buck? -- run your customer appreciation week immediately prior to your welcoming-new-customer offers.  Your current customers will feel you thought of them first -- and your new customers are likely to have seen how you value your old customers, as well. 

Revisiting the core of your business -- who you are -- is the fastest route to becoming who you want to be and will provide invaluable insights into how to get there.

The Cordial Greetings Team encourages you to take your lead from the budding trees and flowers around you  -- make this be the spring your business blooms brightly!