3 Tips for Responding to Negative Reviews

“It’s not the presence of a negative review in a sea of good ones that you need to worry about – it’s what you do (or don’t do) with those comments that is important. ”

No one likes to get a negative review. But I don't want the fear of potentially receiving negative feedback to hold you or your business back. I've even heard of a business owner who was so afraid of receiving an unfair, negative review that she turned off the review feature on her social media completely!

What about all of the people she was making happy? What about everyone who wanted to share their 5-star "great job" with the world? Don't miss out on the power of positive reviews simply because you're afraid of a few negative ones. 

Before you go somewhere new or try out that just-opened restaurant, you are likely to search for that business online. And what pops up? Their ratings and reviews. You'll give them a chance because they've been vetted by lots of people, right? Even if they don't have a perfect five stars, you'll probably see that most people gave them good ratings and give them the benefit of the doubt.

If the business has been around a while, they've probably run into the inevitable negative Nancy or two who left them poor comments. I don't know how many times I've been asked, "How do I delete that?" by worried business owners. A single bad review in the middle of several good ones will not have a major affect on your business.

It's not the presence of a negative review in a sea of good ones that you need to worry about – it's what you do (or don't do) with those comments that is important. 

Here are a few things I want you to remember when you get a negative review:

1. They may not be right, but every review deserves a response. 

When you respond to a negative review with honesty, brevity, and an attempt to reconcile the issue in some way, you are showing others that you are not the bad guy. I want you to think more about the countless other people who will be watching the conversation like flies on the wall –– because they are your potential repeat or future customers. The way you handle a disgruntled customer who is clearly not going to be made happy, shows everyone else that you are level-headed and that you care about your business and the services you provide. Be a human. Respond to humans. Respond to reviews.

2. Own what you can. 

Did your new associate have an off day? Were you having an off day? Did the customer have an unmet expectation, and even though it was lofty, they could have been taken care of a little better? Does their experience change the way you will operate in the future? Tell them. In a couple of sentences or less own your part of the error. Saying you're sorry they had a bad experience with you is truthful, and it can go a long way to helping someone cool off if they are reasonable people.

3. Make them a sandwich. 

No, I'm not talking PB&J here. But this is a little recipe I learned at my former job at a magazine in Houston when we would make the one reader out of thousands angry. When addressing an issue, use the compliment sandwich. Say something positive about the services you strive to provide to the community, something that humanizes you. Then own what you can about the situation with a short apology. And finally, close it with one more positive statement – maybe about your services going forward or if you feel it's appropriate a special offer just for them. 

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