“Thank You For Giving Us The Opportunity To Improve”
Online reviews.
They can be awesome. They can be destructive.
The secret lies in your response.
Are you always professional, friendly, caring, helpful, honest and open to constructive feedback?
When I ask groups about online reviews the response is a predictable spread from a lot of apathy to many neutrals and a few enthusiastic. When I ask the follow up question, “How many of you have used/looked up/been influenced by online reviews?” 80-90% of the room agree that online reviews have influenced them. Online reviews matter.
Are you leveraging the power of online reviews?
Do you engage online or ignore reviews?
Do you have a strategy around your online presence?
The power of online reviews is the complete independence of the individuals writing them. You can ask people to leave reviews (& I strongly encourage you to make this part of your sales & marketing process) but you cannot determine what they will say. Some people give star ratings and reviews, some only leave star ratings, some “only give a maximum of 4 stars because everyone has room for improvement”, some will leave constructive feedback and some will rant.
You are not responsible for others actions and reactions, only your own.
Watch the ‘stories’ you tell yourself in your mind.
A healthy narrative is that a client of yours took their precious time to give you feedback.
If the feedback is good then a “thank you” is the least you can do in response. More is better.
If the feedback contains constructive suggestions on improvements, be grateful they are telling you and giving you the opportunity to improve. Respond with gratitude and detail what you have done to implement their suggestions.
If the feedback is unfair, uncalled for or false the general public will determine the truth of the situation by your response.
Most people understand that “truth” has 3 versions - “My version, Your version & the truth”.
Your responses to previous reviews as well as your response to the current review will be the gauge people use in finding “the truth”.
Thank people for taking the time to leave a review. Acknowledge what they experienced as good. Own areas where you can improve and invite them back to experience the improvement. Be gracious in disagreement and offer to discuss further offline if needed.
If you have always responded with grace and gratitude then if there is one bad or mediocre review people will assume it is a disgruntled keyboard warrior and disregard it.
Love them or hate them, reviews are here to stay. Accept this and make the most of the opportunities they present and you can go from strength to strength as people look up their options and see you as the natural choice.
