Criticism is ugly; nobody likes it, and we try to avoid it. However if it is out there we should not ignore it. It is important. If we have customers who criticize us, we would love to get right back at them and tell them how wrong they are. However, whenever that happens, for example, during a phone call, it doesn’t end well, because the last thing any customer wants to hear is that he is wrong. Who does, for that matter?
The thing is, customers who criticize you are the best customers you can get.
You should reward them give them a price, because they do you a great service, something you have to pay for under different conditions. They take the time to let you know what you can improve. They may not be correct, but they may also be right and when they are, that information is quite valuable for you. Such customers tell you how you can be better at what you do, potentially what you need to do to stand out.
See it that way, even if they are wrong, even if they misunderstood something, maybe you can improve this something to make sure such misunderstandings can not happen again. Value such critical customers, try taking care of them and understanding their point of view. Keep ‘em close, because when you can convince one of these angry customers, you can have a relationship for life.
Just some thoughts…
BTW, try replacing customers with friends, literally. Do you see what I did there?
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