It can be quite disheartening as a small business owner to receive a negative review for a product or service that you poured all your hard work into. But receiving negative reviews is not that uncommon in the business world. And if you want to turn that negative review into something positive, you need to know how to properly respond to them.
Give Yourself Time to Calm Down and Think of Your Response
You can’t just jump the gun on responding to a negative review. A negative review is often an unexpected and frustrating occurrence that leaves you feeling sad, frustrated, and a bit angry. Your emotions will be running high and you must take the time to think of your response before you press the publish button.
Even if you think you have a great comeback to the reviewer’s negative review, you should still take a step back and put things in perspective. Allow this negative review to sink in for a few hours and then go back to your response and see if you still think the same way.
Don’t Wait Too Long to Respond
While you should take your time to respond, you also want to respond to the negative review in a prompt manner. Don’t let a few days or weeks go by before you give that negative review your attention.
After all, you want to send a message to the reviewer and to your other potential customers that you can respond promptly and professionally to negative feedback. Responding to a negative review as soon as possible says a lot about your business and is a great way to send potential customers a message that you’re a responsible business owner who cares about their experience.
Provide a Personal and Understanding Response
If someone has taken the time to write a negative review, they are usually upset. And they probably have a valid reason to be upset.
Don’t be afraid to be personable and show empathy in your reply. Let them know you care about their experience and that you’re willing to do whatever you can to make things right.
It’s amazing how a simple, positive message can turn an angry customer into a loyal customer.
Don’t Attack or Take the Review Personally
A big mistake business owners make when responding to negative reviews is to be overly defensive and to attack the reviewer. This especially rings true when the negative review is posted by a competitor or a disgruntled customer.
When you get defensive and attack the reviewer, you’re basically telling them that they’re right in their negative review. Responding to a reviewer with a defensive tone and a nasty comment saying that they are wrong or that you’re right only makes things worse.
Avoid the urge to attack and instead, try to use a more professional approach to the situation.
Final Thoughts
Negative reviews can be quite upsetting and can also be beneficial. They are beneficial if you learn from them and improve your business. But, if you don’t respond positively to a negative review, you’re losing a great opportunity to turn a negative review into a positive one. Be the first responder with a positive and professional yet understanding approach and you can turn negativity into positivity.
Turn those negative reviews into something positive with the help of Varemar. We are a digital agency that provides online reputation management in New Jersey. Our reputation management services will help you show the world how great your business is and help you increase your conversions. Contact us today to get started!