Got a Bad Review? Don't Do This

A couple of years ago, I had a gutter company as a client.? The owner had received a bad review on Google.? He asked me what to do, and I had him write up a response but send it to me first.??

His tone was aggressive and unprofessional and was the wrong way to respond.? It would have only kept the dialogue between both parties going negatively. ?

Client: I'd like to get your reaction to this draft response.? I also want to think about it overnight myself to make sure I'm not flying off the handle at this hothead, but here's my first reaction:

"The allegation that [client] lows balls its estimates and then withdraws them is blatantly untrue.

The truth is that [client] even repeated its original price quote to [prospect] in writing via email.

However, he deliberately chose to disregard that email of ours.

He then flames us – 5 times in a row, he blasts our inbox by sending his same 'go jump' email over and over again.

That's right - five times in a row he flames us with the same 'go jump' email.

Now he's venting again – this time on Google.

So who is being rational here, and who is being irrational?

I rest my case."

My Response:

Do not post your response.? You are only asking for trouble.? Focus not on the person but your process and service.? How do you go above and beyond with your service to all your clients, no matter who they are? Simply state all proposals are in writing.

This review is out there now public.? There is nothing you can do about it.? Amazingly, people want to see bad reviews because it makes your business more real.? No one is perfect but how you respond says the most about who you are as a business.? THAT'S what gets remembered.? Your response also allows someone to justify the bad review.? If the reader thinks there is a shred of truth somewhere in what this guy says, your job is to identify with what is actually true and then BRIEFLY discuss how you handle quotes and discrepancies, etc.?

The most significant advice is to respond professionally and try to move the conversation offline.? Let the person know they can email or call you directly to discuss the situation in more detail.?

Try to wait 24 hours before responding.? This helps take the emotions out of your response and be more professional.

When you have a customer upset about something, try to stick to just that issue.? No matter if you are emailing, meeting in person, or talking on the phone, be cautious with your words so that you don't inadvertently give them another chance to complain about something else.? Oh, the stories I could tell with this.?

Put a process in place that asks customers for a review to build up an arsenal of positive reviews.? You are giving future prospects a reason to justify the negative comments.

We can't make everyone happy. However, Google reviews are critical to new business and how it is displayed in Google searches for local companies.??

There are 3 main ranking factors for your company to show up higher in search results. The first is the proximity of the prospect to your address when searching and the second is the number of reviews.? Next week I’ll share details about the third factor.