Is your business represented on online review sites such as CitySearch or Google? There’s a very good chance that it is, but are you aware of what people are saying about you?
If your business has negative reviews, the important thing is to make sure you don’t engage negativity with defensiveness or more negativity; use your Dale Carnegie training and meet negative reviews as if you were standing in front of the person saying those things about you. Understand that most of the time they have valid concerns and just want to be heard.
You can turn negative reviews into positive experiences by talking to the customer who had the bad experience, accepting that they had a bad experience, asking what you can do for them, and doing what you can to help turn their experience into a positive one.
Remember that an interaction with a customer no longer stop when they walk out your door. That is the very nature of social media, the internet, and review sites especially. Use these tools and your skills to foster and grow the relationship even if a customer has had a bad experience.
Check out your business on sites like CitySearch, Yelp, and Google. See what people are saying about you. It can be a huge benefit to you and your customer service efforts!
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Michigan, providers of professional development and management development courses and information in Michigan. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter @MarkWillDCT.
Send to Kindle
Some entrepreneurs don’t do this because they think it’s just vanity or paranoia, but when it comes to business, it’s not. You don’t get people reporting to you what your customers say behind your back — you have to find it out yourself! I hope business owners get to realize this as important. Thanks for the suggestions, Brian!