In this Article:
"You attend to their issues as rapidly and transparently as possible. And here's what happens: the squeaky wheel is not only silenced but seduced..."-Bob Garfield
Don't ignore them and hope they will go away.
Now, by saying this I'm not suggesting that you try to please everyone. Taking a cue from a little something that Bill Cosby once said, If you try to please everyone in your business you'll end up pleasing (and serving) nobody.
Smart online business marketing starts with understanding the core value and core mission of your product and service. Yes, you will tweak some of your products along the way, make improvements, present them in a better way, repurpose your content, and incorporate new information that is aligned with those core values. But the foundation of your business, the stuff that you are building your empire on, shouldn't change.
So deal with an angry customer, hater, or squeaky wheel. If you are honest and have been transparent with the intentions of your business, then there is no reason to hide.
Is your Online Business Marketing Content Confusing?
First, take out your ego, pride and hurt and decide if there is some validity to what the angry customer is saying. Most of the time, their hatred stems not from any personal feelings toward you but instead from frustrations over a transaction that didn't go as planned. Other times they may have had expectations of one thing and then received another. In both of these cases, figure out if you need to make any adjustments to your online marketing. Is the content confusing? Could you explain things in a different manner? One good rule of thumb is to always try to under-promise and over-deliver.
"In a transparent world, engaging an unhappy customer has a twofold win. You get to learn from the critic with a megaphone and you get to turn a foe into a friend." - Steven Rosenbaum "Curation Nation"
Be Transparent - If you Don't Have the Answer, say so!
There will be times when you can't answer or solve the angry customer's problem. That's okay! If you are like most entrepreneurs you are curious, and you like to solve problems. So their frustrations may just be an opportunity for you to create a solution, create a product to sell, and then actually profit from their anger by providing a benefit or solution for other customers with that same concern. You turn their anger into a solution! You can tell them, "I don't have an answer for that right now. But I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. If I'm able to come up with a solution that might help you, I'll be sure to let you know!"
Now - here's a tip: If you keep getting the same frustrations over and over from various clients - happy and unhappy - then you know that there's an audience for that particular solution! Develop a product to sell that addresses their problem...cha ching!
Deal with Angry Customers on the Same Platform
If an unhappy customer is talking about you on Facebook, then be sure your response can be found on Facebook; if it's YouTube then a video response may be a good angle, if they have a blog, then comment on their blog. The goal here is to acknowledge them...often people just want to be heard.
Don't deny, deflect or quash. In today's online business world that's not very effective. Acknowledge them, but don't feel as if you have to fuel any continuing ill feelings. You don't have to continue to engage with them if they truly are just mean-spirited. That's a waste of your energy and time.
How to Find Unhappy Customers
Now, notice I didn't say how to find unhappy people...that's easy enough! I'm talking about finding the discussions that involve your company - the positive and the negative. If you haven't set up alerts yet through a system such as Google Alerts, then you should do that. This will tell you anytime someone mentions your company name. You want to monitor the chatter and stay in the loop about what your customers are saying.
And remember - when someone says something Awesome about you...be sure to acknowledge that as well! It's a funny thing, but people that have a negative point to make seem to have a lot more time for "hate mail" than those that are genuinely happy. So when those happy people take the time to give you a thumbs up for what your business does, then be sure that you are taking the time to thank them.
It's just a good way to handle angry customers, happy customers, and your online business marketing success!
Until next time...Dawn
- The Importance of Knowing your Core Business Values
- Realize that You May Not Have all the Answers-and that's OK!
- Finding Unhappy Customers Online
"You attend to their issues as rapidly and transparently as possible. And here's what happens: the squeaky wheel is not only silenced but seduced..."-Bob Garfield
Don't ignore them and hope they will go away.
Now, by saying this I'm not suggesting that you try to please everyone. Taking a cue from a little something that Bill Cosby once said, If you try to please everyone in your business you'll end up pleasing (and serving) nobody.
Smart online business marketing starts with understanding the core value and core mission of your product and service. Yes, you will tweak some of your products along the way, make improvements, present them in a better way, repurpose your content, and incorporate new information that is aligned with those core values. But the foundation of your business, the stuff that you are building your empire on, shouldn't change.
So deal with an angry customer, hater, or squeaky wheel. If you are honest and have been transparent with the intentions of your business, then there is no reason to hide.
Is your Online Business Marketing Content Confusing?
First, take out your ego, pride and hurt and decide if there is some validity to what the angry customer is saying. Most of the time, their hatred stems not from any personal feelings toward you but instead from frustrations over a transaction that didn't go as planned. Other times they may have had expectations of one thing and then received another. In both of these cases, figure out if you need to make any adjustments to your online marketing. Is the content confusing? Could you explain things in a different manner? One good rule of thumb is to always try to under-promise and over-deliver.
"In a transparent world, engaging an unhappy customer has a twofold win. You get to learn from the critic with a megaphone and you get to turn a foe into a friend." - Steven Rosenbaum "Curation Nation"
Be Transparent - If you Don't Have the Answer, say so!
There will be times when you can't answer or solve the angry customer's problem. That's okay! If you are like most entrepreneurs you are curious, and you like to solve problems. So their frustrations may just be an opportunity for you to create a solution, create a product to sell, and then actually profit from their anger by providing a benefit or solution for other customers with that same concern. You turn their anger into a solution! You can tell them, "I don't have an answer for that right now. But I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. If I'm able to come up with a solution that might help you, I'll be sure to let you know!"
Now - here's a tip: If you keep getting the same frustrations over and over from various clients - happy and unhappy - then you know that there's an audience for that particular solution! Develop a product to sell that addresses their problem...cha ching!
Deal with Angry Customers on the Same Platform
If an unhappy customer is talking about you on Facebook, then be sure your response can be found on Facebook; if it's YouTube then a video response may be a good angle, if they have a blog, then comment on their blog. The goal here is to acknowledge them...often people just want to be heard.
Don't deny, deflect or quash. In today's online business world that's not very effective. Acknowledge them, but don't feel as if you have to fuel any continuing ill feelings. You don't have to continue to engage with them if they truly are just mean-spirited. That's a waste of your energy and time.
How to Find Unhappy Customers
Now, notice I didn't say how to find unhappy people...that's easy enough! I'm talking about finding the discussions that involve your company - the positive and the negative. If you haven't set up alerts yet through a system such as Google Alerts, then you should do that. This will tell you anytime someone mentions your company name. You want to monitor the chatter and stay in the loop about what your customers are saying.
And remember - when someone says something Awesome about you...be sure to acknowledge that as well! It's a funny thing, but people that have a negative point to make seem to have a lot more time for "hate mail" than those that are genuinely happy. So when those happy people take the time to give you a thumbs up for what your business does, then be sure that you are taking the time to thank them.
It's just a good way to handle angry customers, happy customers, and your online business marketing success!
Until next time...Dawn
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