A bad review is the bane of every business owners existence; and in some extreme cases, it can even be a catastrophic outcome that may decide the fate of your business.
The bad news is: most business owners – no matter how outstanding their work is and how good their customer service is – will usually receive one in their lifetime.
This could be because of a misunderstanding, an unfortunate timing, or even just flat out pettiness.
The good news? Bad reviews can actually be turned into an immensely positive accolade for your business.
So, we’ve listed all the potential up-sides of a bad review, plus a how-to guide at the end for turning your naysayers into your best clients!
#1 Negative Reviews Can End Up Being Your Best Customers!
There are plenty of people out there who – although they may have a disagreement with your business – are more than happy to talk it through.
Discussing your differences with a customer who left a bad review can show that you respect their opinion, even if you don’t necessarily agree with them.
It is possible for disgruntled customer and business to work together to achieve a compromise that works for both parties.
Doing so will forever cement your company in their mind: in today’s age, customer service has become particularly negative, so showing that you’re willing to go an extra mile for your customers will really stand out.
Oftentimes when such an agreement occurs, the ex-disgruntled customer will be more than happy to share publicly how reasonable your business was. This will go towards forming a bond between your business and said customer – and who knows, they might be your best one yet!
#2 Digital Algorithms Love Your Responses
Google & Facebook reviews absolutely love when business owners respond to reviews – positive or negative.
In fact, you’ll actually receive more exposure (organically and SEO-wise) if you respond to a negative comment, rather than ignoring it or hiding it.
This is because Facebook and Google’s review platforms rank business based on engagement rate, and customers communicating directly with businesses is one of the best forms of engagement.
#3 An Excellent Way To Share Your Side Of The Story
If you were to ignore a negative review, all future potential customers who read it would only ever be hearing one side of the story: the part that paints you in a negative light.
By respectfully responding and offering your side of the story, you’ll be letting future customers make up their own mind.
This could result in them siding with you and continuing on to do business with you, rather than simply turning away.
#4 A Great Way To Dispel Trolls
Sometimes, a customer can leave you a negative review just to be petty. Or, in extreme cases, they could not even be a customer in the first place: a negative review could be left by someone who has never interacted with your business at all.
Usually, these types of reviews will have low-quality grammar, punctuation and use of the English language.
Or, such a review could mention some part of the business that is not professional or relevant to customer experience (perhaps a reviewer didn’t like the accent of one of your staff, for example.)
By respectfully responding to these reviews and pointing out the inherent unprofessionalism of them, you can alert future customers that this review is not a good reflection of your business.
Often times this may even garner your business some sympathy and even compel potential customers to like your review and engage with your business.
A How-To Guide:
Think First, Then Respond
When it comes to negative reviews, the last thing you want to do is aggravate the situation any further.
Customers that leave these reviews are unlikely to respond well to anger or frustration and worse, an impulsive response will make you look unprofessional to other customers.
Take a deep breath and walk away from the screen for a few minutes before responding to negative reviews.
Acknowledge, Don’t Attack
Verbally attacking negative reviews will get you nowhere.
Remember: you are not trying to prove a point in your response.
Instead, you’re trying to achieve a positive resolution and even turn this negative review into a loyal, recurring customer.
The first step to doing this is to acknowledge the grievances the customer has mentioned in their review. This will garner their respect and make them feel heard.
This in turn will open them up to hearing your side of the story, too.
Share Your Own Side
This is the part where you explain any miscommunications or misunderstanding that may have transpired.
It’s also a great opportunity for you to enlighten customers as to any misconceptions they may have. For example: Yes, we understand that our product is $10 more expensive than the competition but that is because we source local materials that do not harm the environment.
Have A Clear Call To Action
This last part is key: as the business owner, you must extend an offer of resolution.
This can be as simple as: I would love to talk about this matter with you further. Please email me at…
This signals to the negative reviews (and other customers) that you take all complaints seriously and you value customer feedback.
Remember: Negative Reviews Aren’t the Worst Thing
But a negative cashflow?
Now that could destroy your business.
If you’re looking for expert financial advice, then there’s nobody better than The A Firm team! Book a call with our director today to discuss how we can increase and manage your revenue!