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65: How to deal with negative reviews online · Online Business Uncovered: Simple Strategies for Female Entrepreneurs

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to the Digitally She Does It Show.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: This is episode 65, and in today's episode, I'm going to be talking about how to deal with negative reviews online.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: So let's jump right in and let's get started.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Digitally She Does It Show.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host Karen and I'm here to lift the lid on what it actually takes to create a successful business.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: If you are an ambitious creative ready to build a business on your own terms and without compromise, then this podcast is perfect for you.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: With my award-winning approach to marketing and expert knowledge in creating online courses, this show will leave you feeling inspired, energized, and ready to bring those big dreams to life.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Join me each week for a dose of motivation and marketing know-how, along with actionable step-by-step strategies to help you accelerate your business's growth.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive in and don't forget to subscribe to all my upcoming episodes, which drop every Wednesday.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining me today.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: I am your host Karen and I really appreciate you hitting the play button to listen to today's episode.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now, in today's episode, I'm going to be talking about negative reviews and how to deal with them online because the more you show up online, the more likelihood it's going to be that you will experience a negative review at some point, or you may experience something negative happening online.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: So in today's episode, I'm going to be talking about the impact of negative reviews, why they matter, and most importantly, how to respond to them in a balanced and unemotional way so that it's not going to make you spin out of control if you do receive one.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Now I think the reality is that negative reviews are, of course, a reality in the digital age we live in.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you run a small business, you provide a service, or you have a personal brand online, negative reviews can be really damaging.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: They can tarnish your reputation, they can have an impact on potential customers looking to work with you, and of course, this can then impact your revenue.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: But I do think that by taking the right approach, then negative reviews can be effectively managed and they can actually be an opportunity for growth and improvement.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: So it isn't all bad.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now, before I dive into strategies for handling these negative reviews, I just want to talk about their significance.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I recently came across a survey by Bright Local that stated that 92% of consumers read online reviews, and interestingly, 40% of these consumers only take into account reviews that have been written in the past two weeks.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Now I think these numbers demonstrate how influential online reviews are and how potential customers or clients may make their decisions.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: So if they happen to read a negative review and they've met you, they want to work with you, but of course they've come across this thing online, then naturally it could have a negative impact.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: And so what we want to be doing is we want to be turning it around so that if you do receive a negative review, it's not all bad.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean that you're never going to be able to work with another customer or client because there are things that you can do to turn it around and actually create a positive out of something that, on the face of it, feels really quite scary and very harmful.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I am working with a client at the moment who recently received a negative review online.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: The client that I'm working with, they're a national brand and they employ a lot of staff, and one of their staff members was called out online because of their behaviour and attitude that the person writing the review found to be unacceptable.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now the review was left online and it was brutal and it really ripped into this member of staff, and they even mentioned that the person's name.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what I found interesting was that this company is a big company, but they were unsure on how to actually handle the negative review that they received, which kind of got me thinking because I think that if larger businesses struggle with this, then we as small businesses are gonna find this really difficult because, of course, there's a direct impact to what we're trying to build.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: I think dealing with negative reviews online is really challenging, but I think it is really important to address them in a constructive and professional way, and in my opinion, the worst thing that you can do to handle this is to not acknowledge it and to brush it off thinking that it doesn't matter because that one review could have a negative impact on your business, and I do think that one review it's just not worth taking the risk.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: So, what can you do when you receive a negative review?
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: What is the thing that you can put in place to ensure that you're actually turning something quite negative into something positive?
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I think the first step ultimately is to just take a deep breath and to avoid any instant knee-jerk reactions.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: It would be so easy to spiral out of control because somebody's left something negative online.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: It is, of course, natural to feel defensive or upset if you do receive one, but I think it's also important to know that it's not the end of the world, and as I said previously, this is something that can actually be turned into an opportunity.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: It all boils down to how you look at it.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's crucial to remain calm and also to respond immediately, do not respond impulsively.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: That is the worst thing you can do because if you respond in an emotional way that is defensive, it's just going to inflame the situation all the more.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: So you need to take some time to process your emotions before taking any kind of action.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's also important to take the time to really carefully read what that person has left and to really understand the review and to kind of approach it in an objective way, which I know is really difficult because it's very easy to take it personally, but I think when people leave things online, I don't always think they're being personal.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think sometimes it is because they've had a bad experience or they've had an experience that they weren't happy with, and so that's why they want to respond to let the company know of the experience that they've received.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't think it's personal, but you have to avoid taking it as being a personal um hit because I think when when that happens, then you are most likely going to respond impulsively, and like I say, you do not want to inflame the situation.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: I think if somebody has taken the time to write a complaint, then it must mean something for them to do it because people are busy, and I think finding the time to sit down and write something means that they must be serious about the thing that they're writing.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now I know there are going to be time wasters out there, and I know there are people that love to complain, which is why when you read the review, you have to try and be objective about it and really ask yourself if there's any weight to what it is that they're talking about.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they have received um a poor experience from you, and maybe it might be because life was happening and you weren't fully there, maybe your head was somewhere else, and and so the service you provided wasn't to the usual standard, and that's absolutely fine, but I think we need to approach it in an objective way so that we can sort of see whether what they've said has merit.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I think if somebody has left you a review, a negative review, then show them respect by responding.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the key here is to show transparency, empathy, and that you're going to take swift action.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think also the best course of action to take is also by thanking that person for for leaving that review, leaving that feedback, and to let them know first and foremost that actually what their opinion is, of course, matters to you because you're a business owner, you're there providing a service, and you may think that you are delivering a service of a certain standard, but of course, it might not translate to that from a customer's perspective.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: So it doesn't necessarily mean they're wrong, but I think that first and foremost you want to just diffuse the situation by acknowledging what they're saying so that they know that you're showing commitment to addressing their concerns, and I think in this particular instance, you stay away from any canned responses, and you always opt in for a personalised message because that's what's going to show genuine concern.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now, sometimes when people are called out on something, it can result in them getting defensive or engaging in an argument, but this is not the right approach to take because it's only ever going to escalate the situation and potentially damage your reputation further, and you want to avoid that at all costs.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I think always respond with a genuine apology.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: Show that you have an understanding of what it is that they're saying, and you are willing to make things right, and I think that will go a long way to building good faith.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: Try also to take the conversation offline by giving them your contact details and invite them to discuss their concerns in more detail because this is going to demonstrate how committed you are to resolving the issues that they've highlighted, and also that you're prepared to do it in a more personalized way.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think when companies get really big, they lose that customer service, and everything seems to be automated, and as a customer, that can be frustrating because actually, what you want to do is you want to speak to a person that you can share your concerns with, and that's going to give you empathy on how you're feeling.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: I think when you get that, you immediately feel better.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: So try and put yourself in your clients' shoes and try and understand how they're feeling and how they've arrived at the decision that they've made to write the review.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think by doing that, you will just immediately be able to show them the empathy that they're probably looking for.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: How you respond to negative reviews, I think, sort of shows how you are as a person, an individual, but also as a business owner as well, and of course, how you see your business.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget, you're managing your brand here.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: Your brand is what is important.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room, and so it's really important that you take that seriously, and that you your response to negative reviews is it's not just about the person that's made the negative review, but it's also for potential customers who who are going to be reading your interaction with that customer later on because this is about what your brand's going to be about.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're confrontational and you're argumentative and you're not accountable, and you leave a message to the review that isn't very friendly and it's quite aggressive, then that's going to show your brand in a really negative light.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: And the chances are clients are not going to want to work with you.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I think you it needs to be taken seriously how you then respond.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: So always keep in mind that it's not just about the person that you're responding to, but it's about future clients as well, and and how people talk about your business when they're not interacting with you as well.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: You don't want to potentially damage your reputation any further, and instead, you always want to respond with genuine apologies so that that person leaving the review knows that you're serious about making things right.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think by handling a negative review in a really professional and empathic way, you can actually turn it into a positive opportunity because again, you're showcasing your commitment to providing a really top-class customer service and keeping your clients happy, and that clients actually matter to you and your business.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now, another important thing to consider when dealing with negative reviews online is your reputation because, as I said, this is your brand, so make it a habit to regularly check review sites, go on social media platforms and see what people are saying about your business, and use other online platforms as well if that's where you show up, so that you can really see and gauge how people are talking about your business.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: I think that what you need to do is always respond as quickly as possible, not just to negative reviews but to positive reviews as well, because this is going to maintain an active and engaged online presence, which is really important.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: Now I know it can be tempting to shy away from doing this, but the other thing that I think is really important is that you drown out any negative reviews by getting positive reviews.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: So when I say about shying away from this, what I mean is actively asking clients to give you positive reviews.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: Every time you work with somebody, ask them for a testimonial, get them to leave it on Google My Business so that you can build up that bank of really positive reviews.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: Because if somebody then goes and leaves you a negative review and you've got lots of positive reviews, then it drowns out that one negative, and that's really important as well.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: What you don't want to do is have a Google My Business account, have one person leave a negative review, and then not have any positive reviews because that's going to make your business look bad.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: So you want to avoid that at all costs, you want to get good reviews on there.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: So, whatever you do when you work with clients, just in your workflow, when you're off boarding your clients, ask them to provide you with a positive review, and you can even give them a script, you can give them the words if you like that you want them to use, you can give them a little um framework, and clients are gonna like that because you're saving them time.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: So if they've genuinely had a good experience with you and your business, they're most likely going to be happy to leave a positive testimonial, and that's the thing that you can then use to drown out the negative reviews.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think this is a great way to counterbalance the impact of any negative reviews that you then receive.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's also worth just being aware that not all negative reviews deserve the same level of attention.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: Some reviews may be completely baseless or they may be left for trolls looking to damage your reputation.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: Because let's face it, there are people out there that have too much time on their hands and they just want to cause people harm.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_00: So obviously, you need to take a balanced view as to whether or not that review that's been left is genuine, and of course, if it is, then you you respond straight away, you reach out to that um client, and then you take it offline and you deal with it appropriately.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: However, if it's baseless and it's just been left because somebody is looking to create damage, then you still need to go back to them.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe what you do is you leave them a short message that's respectful that just lets them know that you have not worked with them and that this is something that's untrue.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, I had a situation that happened to me where somebody who I have never met, I have never worked with, left a negative review on my Google My Business, and what they put was completely baseless, there was no truth to it whatsoever, and they gave me a one-star review.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: And at the time I took it really personally, and I really struggled with it because I had actively gone out my way to build my testimonials so that my clients that I was working with were giving me those five-star reviews, so I was really proud of the fact that clients were wanting to do that based on the services that I was providing.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: So when I got this one-star review, I was so upset, it really did push me off balance.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: And then what I did is I spoke to one of my mentors, and I was talking about this, and they suggested that the way to drown it out is to go and ask all of my clients, reach out to all of my clients, and ask them to leave me a positive review on my Google My Business um platform, which I did, and so what that did is that it completely drowned it out, and it meant that my overall rating was really high, and even today I still have that one star review which I just have to kind of ignore, but I did report it to Google, and I found this really interesting because it was clearly somebody trolling, and Google did nothing, they were not prepared to remove it, and what I found really interesting was that there was no identity behind the review.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: Anybody can set up a Google account, they don't have to put a profile picture, they don't have to put any details, and because of that, there are people that do unfortunately go around leaving negative reviews, but there's no identity behind them, so you don't know who's actually doing it.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, Google does not take responsibility for this and they don't do anything about it.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: So, whilst I'd love to sit here and say if you receive a negative review, reach out to Google and get them to remove it.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: If it is a baseless review, Google won't do that.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: So, what you have to do is make sure that you drown it out by getting lots of positive reviews.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_00: I did have a client that I was working with, and at the very beginning, before we started working together, I always remember her saying to me, I've been online and obviously checked you out, and I see you had an you have a negative review, and it wasn't long after it had happened, and it did make me think that just because that person has left me that negative review, it could have well meant that that client that I was about to work with could have decided to go somewhere else.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that if you were to get a negative review, I don't think it's the end of the world, I think there's plenty that can be done to combat it and to turn the situation around.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: But I also think that you need to be proactively deal with it and you need to understand that to some people, negative reviews are enough for them to change their mind about working with you.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if that's the case, they may not be your client, they may not be your ideal client, and in my case, I continue to work with the client, it was not a problem.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: I explained what happened, and after that, it wasn't even an issue.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: And after that, as well, I managed to get loads of, like I say, five-star reviews, and everything was fine, but it does happen, and I think that's the point.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: So it's best to be prepared so that if this does happen to you, you know how the land lies.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, I think negative reviews are an inevitable part of running a business online because it's so easy for people to jump on and to leave something negative, which, like I say, can be damaging, and whilst of course they feel challenging, they can also present an opportunity for you to grow and for you to improve as well, and that's why I don't think it's necessarily all bad.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: I think there is room there to be able to use it to your advantage.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: I also think that by approaching negative reviews with empathy, professionalism, and a commitment to rectifying any issues raised, again, you can actually turn them into a positive force for your business.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, it's not about avoiding negative reviews.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't want you thinking, well, I'm not gonna show up online because I don't want to get one.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's just about effectively managing them.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, negative reviews are not the end of the world, they're going to happen.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's worth just having a strategy in place so that if they do happen, you're prepared.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to today's episode.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you found this episode of value and of course, please feel free to share it with others who you may think will also benefit from listening to today's episode.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: If you are feeling inspired and would like to know more about getting started with creating an online digital course, then why not download my free ebook, 10 Steps to Digital Course Success, by visiting my website www.pink-lemondigital.com.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: I will be back next week with another episode.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: But until then, have a great week.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you enjoyed this episode of the digital she does it show.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to check out the show notes for all the links and resources mentioned in today's episode.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: New episodes drop every week on a Wednesday.
• 23:52
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• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for tuning in today, and I will see you next time.