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Thursday, March 04, 2010

Are Bad Reviews Really All That Bad?


I found out today that someone was very unhappy with me about some criticism I posted publicly. My knee jerk response was panic. I'm a relationship guy. I work hard to preserve relationships and goodwill and when I know I've offended someone, my tendency is to quickly apologize and go into repair mode. I deleted the critical material.

This critique I wrote was as a customer. I had spent money with this person's business and was unsatisfied with what I got.

Last year I blogged rather transparently about a customer that left me. It was a painful experience. I asked that customer earnestly to provide me with some candid feedback and I was very fortunate they obliged. I've applied that feedback to my business, and to great effect. Here's the post, I'd still welcome your comments on it. Learning from the Lost Customer

I've found that in business it is extremely difficult to get good candid feedback from people. There will always be good reviews if you simply put out the effort, but it's tough to learn anything from them. (Not to say I don't love great reviews and testimonials)

Not-so-great reviews though, often present a much greater opportunity for a business owner, particularly in this uber-public new business paradigm we're in. Not only can I learn what people don't like about my business, but I have a chance to connect with them, clarify, change or correct, and then respond publicly to their critique. If I am earnest and sincere, the net effect may actually be more positive than the run-of-the-mill glowing review.

So on the one hand, I'm bummed that this business owner is upset with me, but also disappointed it didn't spark a better online interaction. I'll follow up with this person offline and hopefully mend the relationship. But for the rest of us, I think there's a best practice we can latch onto as business people.

Let's not only be a business community that responds well to criticism, but let's invite it, no, seek it out. None of us are perfect, but once we're alerted to our flaws, we can change, improve, and win again.

Are bad reviews really all that bad?
Posted by Chris Nordyke at 8:48 PM
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6 comments:

  1. This post is perfect, Chris. You're exactly right about the super transparent context in which we work right now. A negative review allows us to be open and honest with people, build DEEPER loyalty and respect, and grow as a business person. I actually learned this from one of my clients, Kim Taylor at The Retreat Salon and Day Spa, who graciously and personally replies to every online review--positive or negative--and as a result wins people over as loyal followers.
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  2. Todd WashingtonMar 5, 2010 08:32 AM
    Feedback is good, but it is not always actionable. For instance, my teaching style is fairly blunt and I use a lot of humor. Most people that take my classes really like it, others feel I am not taking death seriously because of my humor. I can tell you that I am not going to change my delivery because the positive feedback far exceeds the negitive. What I have done is tell classes upfront of my style and that I am not being disrespectful.
    You cannot be everything to everyone. If you try to do this you are going to make a lot more people upset. Be honest and be candid, but don't be hurtful or disrespectful with your feedback. Accept it for what it is and change things that will fit with what you are trying to acheive.
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  3. Dear Mr. Knee-Jerk, Panic, Relationship, Apologetic, Repair mode Guy,

    Frankly, I'm not surprised by either your action nor the actions of the business owner. And for right or wrong, it is where it's at.

    First, my thoughts from the reviewed business owner's (potential) perspective: As a new business owner, I think I'd probably be especially sensitive to criticism as I'd want my business to make a good initial showing (staying power). And if things went awry despite my best efforts, and someone called me on it, of course I'd feel bitten. In my mind, however, that doesn't call for me to try to exact punishment on an honest customer review. Was the business owner's response over-reacting? Perhaps. Knee-jerk? Sounds like it. Justified? Not hardly.

    Now my thoughts from a customer's perspective: Was the review overly harsh? I don't think so. Brutally honest? Yes. And as I recall from reading the post (before you deleted it), the review took on a decidedly negative tone, despite you rating it a 3 ("A-OK") out of 5 stars. But what people often take home as the "take home message" is the tone of the text and/or the last sentence or two (incidentally, this is why I usually try to end conversations - text-based or in person - on a non-negative note). Was your review justified? Who's to say, other than you? It was your experience as a customer and you wrote about it as a customer. But since you are a somewhat readily-identifiable person in the community, people with recognition are often held to a more stringent standard than others, for good or bad, and are often unable to keep the personal and professional separate in the public's eye. That's what appears to have happened to you.

    How do you move forward? Perhaps through some introspective insight. Perhaps through recognition that, as a somewhat recognizable Corvallis fixture, people hold you to a different standard (right or wrong). Perhaps by attempting to extricate your personal and professional online personas - difficult when that's who you are! Perhaps by never posting reviews again (please don't even consider that).

    One thing's for certain. Word gets around rather quickly. And the response of the business owner, in my mind and in the minds of the people I've talked to about this, went beyond a typically-accepted response...way beyond. If the business owner truly cared about the customer's experience (and after two visits to the place - and your experience - I don't get that sense), you'd think they'd, at the very least, reach out to you, or, optimistically, attempt to change their business practices. Neither case appears to have occurred here. And word gets around.

    For what it's worth, I'm not totally sure what the lesson(s) I'll take away from this are but I'm leaning toward "temperance" and "humility"...

    Keep your head turned toward the heavens.
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  4. Chris, My Dad and I had a really good conversation regarding his reviews on yelp. While he does not feel all warm and fuzzy about anything bad his customers say about his lodge, he sees it as a way to improve as well as engage. I think that is the sweet spot. Here is his yelp site for reference: http://www.yelp.com/biz/callahans-lodge-ashland
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  5. You can't control the medium. You can only participate and mediate. Use it to your advantage. Unfortunately for this business they chose control and missed an opportunity to create a positive customer experience publicly.

    I hope we can educate more businesses on how to adopt a proactive strategy to these situations.
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  6. The key to my marriage is for my wife never to tell me she is unhappy with me. She only tels me how wonderful I am. Thus I am the perfect husband.

    Stupid huh?
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