If Someone Wrote a Review About You, Would You Be Five Star Worthy?
When my husband and I started our business 21 years ago, Google wasn’t really a thing yet. Our business grew from word of mouth referrals… Sometimes those were positive and sometimes negative. Today, for nearly 9 in 10 consumers, an online review is as important as a personal recommendation.
Let me tell you… My expectations are high. Customer service is the #1 reason I use a company or service. Being a business owner makes your expectations even higher. Trust me. If you have ever spent time with my husband, you get what I am saying. There is very little room for error on his end. I want to work with a company or individual that is responsive, knowledgeable, and who does what they say they will do. In the end it is all about results, right?
But…
What happens when our expectations are not met?
Do you get frustrated?
From there do you get angry?
Do you want to retaliate?
Studies show that 82% of shoppers purposely look for negative reviews. Why? I believe it is because we live in a world where it is easier to complain than to give a compliment. Drive down the highway… what happens when there is a fender bender on the side of the road? Everyone stops to look!
Jennifer Gluckow, author of Sales In a New York Minute, said the following to me:
“Reviews are a tool to help others know what to expect from a business. So often, however, people use them as a weapon when a business isn’t doing what they want or acting in a way that feels fair. Before you write a negative review, always take a first step approach to try and resolve it with the business. Because after all, a true resolution is going to get you way more than just getting your feelings out there in writing in a review.
Here’s what to do: When a business upsets you by their actions, speak with the owner to try and resolve it rather than let their negative BS affect you and your attitude, go for the triple positive approach:
Immediately write 3-5 POSITIVE reviews for businesses you love doing business with. See how you feel after you share positivity and abundance- I promise it will feel good! Spread the 5-star love.”
As a business owner, when given the chance to leave a review, I always take the time to not only leave one but to focus on what was positive evenif there was a negative. I try to remember that probably people don’t intentionally screw up just to ruin my day. Humans make mistakes. Humans say things they might regret. Technology fails us often. We must give grace where grace can be given just as we are to do that with one another remembering that patience is a virtue.
Don’t misunderstand. Negative reviews are warranted in some cases and can be helpful too. For example; when leaving a negative review for say a restaurant. Instead of saying “the food was terrible” say whyand give an example. A company cannot learn from something that isn’t defined. It gives a company/restaurant a chance to improve in certain areas or open dialogue for new policies and procedures that will enhance future customer service. When a company responds to negative reviews it provides them the opportunity to give their perspective on what happened.
I feel we are too quick to judge and not quick enough to perhaps take some of the responsibility of what we maybe could have done to help the situation. Let’s not use a review to complain but use as a resource to give factualfeedback. If we give grace and don’t expect something for nothing, I wonder what the positivity meter would look like?
Google is today’s “word of mouth”. It is a business’s reputation. Reviews build loyalty and trust. One negative review can cost a company 30 customers. Think before you write because if someone was giving you a review what would you want them to say, even on your worst day?
You can find content from me on my IG and Facebook @shellylhenderson. I also release a new podcast every week on Sunday.