Feedback Good (or Bad) is Always Good!

Heading up an online review based network I’ve learned a lot about the value consumer reviews can have on a business.  While I’d like to sit here and say that every review posted on our network is positive, I’d be lying and our network would lack any credibility.  Yes, sometimes too much “good” can be bad in the consumer’s eyes.  Sounds odd but let’s put it in simple terms many of us can relate to, dating. You meet the person of your dreams, they look great, say all the good things you want to hear but for some reason in the back your mind you’re thinking, too good to be true.  OK sounds silly I know, but for many of us this is the psychological reality of how we deal with things and usually this behavior works its way into how we act as consumers.   Let’s put this into our own business world, informed decisions is what your prospective customers are looking for and reviews are a major component of that.  Be it on my website, your website, or any of the social media outlets out there today, the consumer will get the information they need to make an “informed” decision.  Whether or not you like reviews customers have been reviewing your facility for many years, it’s called word of mouth.  With the advent of the internet it’s now called world of mouth.  But let’s not be confused, don’t fool yourself and assume that only the good is what you want your prospective customers to hear.  Constructive consumer feedback is a necessary evil of successfully running a business today.  Even if the customer is wrong in your mind, it’s still their opinion.  For many of us, it’s that constructive feedback (review) that has helped make us better business people.  Look at the companies that have thrived utilizing reviews, eBay, Amazon, and yes our own, eMove. It’s the unbiased nature of the review that helps make these businesses successful.  Can you imagine eBay without reviews?   

Consumer feedback can and will generate more business, how you react to that feedback will ultimately determine the true effectiveness of garnering more business out of reviews.  Lastly, don’t fool yourself into thinking that the one bad review will sink the ship, it’s the bad ones that open our eyes and help make us that much better at what we do. 

Good renting!

Sam