Handling Negative Reviews
Oh hi there! Today I want to talk about an article I found over on the QuickBooks Blog. It covers something that's going to happen from time to time as a business owner because, let's face it, you can't please everyone. That is the topic of negative reviews, AND how to handle them and get more business (yay!). Let's take a look...
Importance
Reviews are important to any business. I know I personally always like to check out a few reviews before making a purchase. The importance can be said for both good and "bad" reviews. I quote "bad" because they're not necessarily slamming your business, but your product or service may not have been the exact fit for their current need and that's ok! And of course positive reviews are always great. They let potential customers know how your company was in a real life situation.
Reviews are important to any business. I know I personally always like to check out a few reviews before making a purchase. The importance can be said for both good and "bad" reviews. I quote "bad" because they're not necessarily slamming your business, but your product or service may not have been the exact fit for their current need and that's ok! And of course positive reviews are always great. They let potential customers know how your company was in a real life situation.
Generating
Now you may be wondering how to generate reviews. Simply start by asking your customers to write a review right after helping them with a solution. This is the best time because the interaction is still fresh in their minds. Additionally the article mentions:
Now you may be wondering how to generate reviews. Simply start by asking your customers to write a review right after helping them with a solution. This is the best time because the interaction is still fresh in their minds. Additionally the article mentions:
- Thank every reviewer. This is an absolute must to show that you care and appreciate the time they took to boost your credibility and performance.
- Return the favor. Consider writing a review for your customers. Just like their review of your business can help you, you can also help them.
- Monitor, monitor, monitor. Staying on top of reviews and responding to them is important. The last thing you want is for your customer writing the review to feel ignored or like they wasted their time.
Negative Reviews
"Now to address the elephant in the room. Negative reviews are inevitable, and your customers know that. In fact, an enormous 95 percent suspect censorship or faked reviews if there aren’t any negative ones." As mentioned before, the client/company relationship may just not be a good fit. And as hard as it may be, don't take it personally. The writer here says it best, "Try to address a negative review transparently and quickly. An honest response is best. And, if you share a proactive response that solves the matter, readers of the review may see it as a big misunderstanding and really appreciate how you handled the poor review. On top of that, the person who gave the bad review could provide a follow-up response of how you resolved the issue. If they haven’t after a few days, don’t hesitate to see if they will post another comment – it can’t hurt to ask!"
Transforming and Growing
"Morgan, I thought you said I could grow my business with reviews?" You can! Publicly sharing reviews is a great way to build trust and rapport with potential customers as well as increasing search engine optimization results (SEO), which is always a plus!
"Now to address the elephant in the room. Negative reviews are inevitable, and your customers know that. In fact, an enormous 95 percent suspect censorship or faked reviews if there aren’t any negative ones." As mentioned before, the client/company relationship may just not be a good fit. And as hard as it may be, don't take it personally. The writer here says it best, "Try to address a negative review transparently and quickly. An honest response is best. And, if you share a proactive response that solves the matter, readers of the review may see it as a big misunderstanding and really appreciate how you handled the poor review. On top of that, the person who gave the bad review could provide a follow-up response of how you resolved the issue. If they haven’t after a few days, don’t hesitate to see if they will post another comment – it can’t hurt to ask!"
Transforming and Growing
"Morgan, I thought you said I could grow my business with reviews?" You can! Publicly sharing reviews is a great way to build trust and rapport with potential customers as well as increasing search engine optimization results (SEO), which is always a plus!
There you have it folks. Hopefully this eases your mind if you've recently received a negative review. Check out the full article linked above for even more info. I hope the rest of your work week is wonderful!