The Sales Vault

How to Respond to a Negative Review

In last week’s blog post, I told the story of my daughter’s wedding and the multiple gaffes made by the DJ. I finished the piece by indicating that I would be writing an unflattering Google review.

I did.

But that’s not the end of the story.

Now, I write a pretty good letter. In fact, I’d say I write two different kinds of letters particularly well: Praise you and Screw you. For this particular situation, I countered the 18 other five-star reviews with a one-star detailing of what happened at the reception.

I wrote about the disappointment, but not in anger.

I wrote about the lack of professionalism but added “everyone makes mistakes” as a way of pointing out that no crime was committed, just stupidity.

When I was done, I reread the piece, decided it was fair, and hit, “Submit.”

The next morning, a reply was posted under my Google review. In it, the DJ apologized and took full responsibility. There were no excuses. He owned it. He told me he was horrified and deeply remorseful.

30 minutes later, I took my review down.

These days an online review holds incredible power. Maligned former employees have taken down restaurants by starting a rumor in a review or simply stating something that’s not true. As I sat and ate my breakfast, I thought about two things:

  1. How I wish others handled my boneheaded mistakes, and;
  2. How impressed I was with his response.

Sooner or later, you will screw up a job. It might be within your control, a dumb oversight, or it might be a production error or delay. Either way, your response to the mishap can either add fuel to the fire or can cause a client to stop and think, “Isn’t this the kind of company I want to do my print, one that owns their mistakes, learns from them, makes them right, then take steps to assure they are not repeated?”

A few days after the wedding, the brides received a partial refund as a gesture of goodwill. In time, we will retell the story and laugh. Our memories will include the errors but also the way the errors were handled.

Search this site

Subscribe Now

Follow Bill on LinkedIn and subscribe to the Short Attention Span Sales Newsletter to get these tips delivered straight to your inbox!

Join the sales vault

Join with your sales team and save! Association Members & Franchise Owners may qualify for a discount. View Partners→

Contact Bill

What The Sales Vault Community is Saying

5/5
5/5
5/5
5/5
5/5
5/5

Trusted by Leading Brands & Associations

Join the top companies and industry groups that rely on The Sales Vault to elevate their sales performance.

Get Started today!

Simple, Flexible Memberships

Get unlimited access to our entire library, live workshops, and AI training—without breaking the bank.

Scroll to Top

Get Bill's Weekly Tips Delivered to Your Inbox

Sales tips are released every Monday morning.  As always get Bill’s Free Weekly Sales Tip at SalesVault.pro. Bookmark the page: This Week’s Tip

Looking for a notification by email? Connect with Bill Farquharson on LinkedIn and Subscribe to his Weekly Newsletter.

Get notified via LinkedIn

Please note, you will need to join LinkedIn to connect with Bill and subscribe.