Online reviews are the cornerstone of many businesses. Reviews have the ability to propel a business’s growth forward, but when these reviews are bad, they can also leave a business in ruin. United States companies are most vulnerable to reviews, and 68% of people state that trustworthy reviews are a key reason for making a purchase.
If your product or business isn’t reviewed highly, you’ll have trouble making sales.
No one wants to struggle to make sales or close a client. You have to be strategic when negative online reviews pop up because a negative reaction or not responding at all will be even worse for business. How should you handle negative reviews?
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1. Don’t Ignore The Review
A bad review is amplified when you allow it to exist without a response. Consumers or clients are leaving a bad review to tell you that something didn’t meet their standards, and this demands a response. Not responding is bad for customer service.
When you don’t respond, you’re showing:
- Other potential customers that you don’t care
- Validating the reviewer’s negative opinion about your company
Instead, try and make it “right” by the customer or client. Respond to the review in a professional manner and show the extent of your customer service. By showing that you acknowledge an unhappy customer and are willing to find a solution to their problem, you’ll be able to turn a negative review into a positive one.
2. Show Off All Of Your Good Reviews
When you have more negative reviews than positive reviews, this looks bad for your business. But, when you have a good mix of reviews, take a pointer from NE Pipe and display all of these great reviews on your site.
There are always going to be customers and clients that you can’t please.
A lot of potential customers will go with the majority, or they’ll go with a group that has more positive reviews than negative reviews. I am not saying that bad reviews aren’t going to hurt your business, they definitely will.
But when you have a lot of good reviews and one or two bad reviews, most people will overlook the negative.
The one exception is when a lot of negative reviews are posted in a short period of time. Consumers are afraid your quality will slip, and an abundance of new, negative reviews will be bad for business.
3. Follow These 4 Recommendations To Success
Success with a negative online review can be difficult to achieve, but it is possible. While there are a lot of tips and suggestions that may help, a few that I have found personally useful include:
- Take matters offline with the person, via in person or by phone, to discuss the matter more thoroughly.
- Be authentic and personal in all of your responses.
- Never beg for a positive review or for the person to change the review.
- Control your emotions and never lash out at the reviewer.
Negative reviews are common, but the way that you approach each review will make a big difference in how your audience perceives the negative review.
If you are interested in even more business-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels then we have a lot to choose from.
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