From time to time, a negative review crops up in virtually every professionals life. The reasons are many: Sometimes, the client was hard to please or the deal just didnt go smoothly. Other times, the reviewer is just being unfair. But before you fly off the handle and blast someone who says not-so-nice things about you or your business, take a moment and follow these four steps to handling negative online reviews.
1. Stay calm. You may be angry or upset, but its important not to handle the situation while your emotions are running high. Thats a recipe for making bad decisions, says real estate social media marketing expert Kelly Craig of Freehold, New Jersey.
Most people look at the overall ratings in reviews. One or two bad ones isnt the end of the world, she says.
2. Respond appropriately. If the review has a field for commentary, respond positively. You may even offer to discuss the issue with the reviewer on the phone or in person and see what can be done to satisfy the client, says Ray Wade, CRS, broker/owner with Legacy Texas Properties in Houston, Texas.
You want to be careful because the Internet is forever, he says. Sometimes, it makes sense to say, Hey, I dropped the ball, if you really did, or carefully comment to include what the client is upset about so that its clarified to others.
Whether the review is positive or negative, the customer wants to feel heard and acknowledged, Craig says. Whether you are thanking your client for positive feedback or for simply sharing a point of view, he or she took time to provide feedback that needs to be acknowledged, she says.
3. Avoid engaging. One thing you dont want to do is get into an online spat with a disgruntled client, says Grant Muller, CRS candidate, founder of Spaces Real Estate, a real estate brokerage in Boulder, Colorado. Trading nasty barbs with a negative reviewer, even if the person is completely wrong, will never reflect well on you.
4. Keep soliciting positive reviews. Muller says the best thing you can do about a negative review is to keep soliciting more positive reviews. When people look at the overall rating and begin reading the reviews, theyre going to evaluate what the majority said and will often assume that one or two negative reviews are anomalies, he says.
