GTO Management

I get a regular newsletter from Practical eCommerce that I just love because it tends to be … well…. practical.

They have some quick hitters in the newsletter ever week from an industry expert that give either good advice or something to think about and I really liked this week’s - Don’t filter your feedback :

"Merchants cannot control their credibility — they can only influence
it. If a customer leaves a bad, yet constructive review for one of your
products, leave it up. Prospective customers trust other customers more
than they trust you. Filtering that feedback can tarnish your
credibility with the reviewer and the visitor."

Michelle Greer - Marketing Specialist

I talk with clients about blogs and blogging and blogging strategy all the time and one of the things they seem to really fear is bad feedback through blog comments.

"What if someone says something bad or flames us?"

You deal with it… and you deal with it in a professional (and public) fashion. By being proactive and calm, one of two things will happen:

1. You will correct the situation with the unhappy party and turn them around in a public forum where other customers and potential customers can see how you deal with issues. You will build both customer loyalty and brand equity in doing so.
2. If you are professional and proactive (lot’s of "Pro" words here) and the disgruntled party continues to be unreasonable… that will shine through and your site or blog’s visitors will see your company as wonderful to work with, and the unhappy party as a bit of a jerk who wouldn’t be helped….. once again, all in a public forum.

Michelle gave a nice tip and I heartily recommend that you put it in play in your business today.