Why That One Bad Review Matters

Bad Reviews - What not to do and how to deal with them

Good business reviews enhance your description of services to prospects and give a positive outlook on what you do from a client’s perspective. But what happens when you get a bad review from a client that was impossible to please? What if that one client went out of his/her way to make you look bad?

Protect Your Brand

Did you know that a bad review can destroy your business reputation?

Many of you may be thinking, well that client was a (fill in the blank), and perhaps he/she was. You may even be inclined to ignore the bad review altogether or respond with emotional anger. I mean, who could blame you, that client was a real piece of work. You did everything right and still they left a bad review. It happens, but don’t overreact! That client is gone, they don’t care what response you leave. It is not them you speak to when you respond to a bad review and responding the wrong way will only hurt your business further. You may be thinking, well, I’ll just ignore them… But responding nothing at all, can result in loss of hundreds, if not thousands, of potential clients.

How Not to Answer a Bad Review

Answering a bad review with a bad response is counterproductive for business.

Negative reviews are often read first, they are what prospects look for in any business prior to making a buying decision. 9 times out of 10, a prospect will read a bad review before reading any positive ones. So, if you have 200+ good ones and 1 bad one, guess which one they are going to go to first? You only have one chance to make a good impression through a bad review and it has to do with how you respond. You have to put your emotions aside and consider what the person reading that review must already be thinking about your business. Your next move is, how to turn that view around in your response.

Reviews Are Key to Your Business Success

Responding to a bad review with facts is key to turning a bad review into a positive one.

Keep in mind that the person leaving the review has already experienced your services. Whether they call or come back again is no longer your concern. That ship has sailed. Now you have to keep anyone reading that review from thinking negatively about your business. You do this by stating facts, not emotional responses. Refer to your business by name, don’t curse, don’t speak bad of the client or combat what they said in their review directly. Viewers see this as petty and often associate it with how you would treat them in a similar situation. Remember, you are no longer talking to the former client. They aren’t your only audience. Reply to the review with what work was done, what went wrong and what you did to make things right. In the end, include a sincere apology “we tried our best to please the client”. Prospects know that sometimes things happen. What they are looking for in a bad review is, what was done to fix the problem and how the company responded to the client.