I was inspired to write this blog after receiving an email from a customer. She shared that one of my products didn’t meet her expectations. No matter how hard you try to to communicate the value of your product, there is always room for improvement. I wasn’t offended by her email at all. I welcome feedback and could totally see her perspective which caused me to make adjustments.
Naturally, when you’re a business owner and someone isn’t happy, you want to make it right. That’s one of the perks of having full control over what you offer. Even if you don’t have full control, like in network marketing, you can still go above and beyond to help a customer. If negative feedback is a regular occurrence, it might be time to rethink your product or the way you are marketing it.
Here are some ideas:
- Create a product that serves as your go-to “free gift.” I have a product that I sell for $10. If someone offers helpful feedback or a testimonial, I send them a promo code to get it for free. It’s a super simple way to add value to their experience but doesn’t take any more of your time.
- Offer the customer something exclusive like a steep discount or early access to a new product.
- Consider offering a partial refund, but be careful with this. Your refund policy should be clear and you need to abide by whatever that policy is. However, if there’s a special circumstance (case by case basis), you can offer a partial refund. I rarely do this but it’s still an option.
- If you have a physical product and shipping/processing is taking a long time, consider sending a physical card to the recipient. Add a note thanking them for their patience and small gift like a product sample.
Bonus tip: Sometimes it’s good to respond to feedback via a video or voice memo. We live in a world where people are scammed every day. Even if you really are who you say you are, the person on the other side of the screen might not believe it. Assure them that you are there to help and tell them so in a way that they can hear your voice or see your face.
