About 10 years ago, I was working with a prospective new channel partner that owned significant business in a market we were trying to penetrate. We were fully prepared and had built a nice rapport with the engineer that give approval to their manufacturing partners and their sales leader. Everything seemed to be moving smoothly until it wasn’t.
During our onsite visit where I thought we were going to execute the final agreement and lay out the on-boarding schedule, the sales leader threw this one at me: “Chris, I’ve been asking around about you guys and one of my sources told me that your team was unresponsive to service issues.” What? I was prepared to address a design issue we had fixed the previous year, but unresponsive? I had never heard that one before. In fact, we were applauded about our responsiveness. I was speechless … literally. I just sat there. My lack of response probably validated what they had heard.
So, how do you handle such a scenario? Not an expected bad review for which you’re prepared, but one that comes out of nowhere. Below is a three step plan to handling the unexpected negative criticism.
- Show your surprise. Years ago I wrote an intense (and probably unfair) email to our CRM VAR complaining about their lack of response. The customer service manager called me immediately the next morning, which I expected. However, his reaction was the difference maker. He was shocked at my email. I still remember his words: “Chris, we screw things up like anyone else, but I’ve never heard that we’re not trying our hardest. Your email surprised me, and I want to fix this problem immediately.” I believed him, and reflecting on that situation I still believe he was telling the truth. His transparency and surprise wasn’t unprofessional but convinced me that my situation was rare, and also that I might have been unfair in my assessment… probably in a bad mood.
If your prospect surprises you with a negative review, don’t worry about looking distraught. Show your surprise – your body language will illustrate your shock, and that this scenario is uncommon.
- Ask for specific information. Immediately ask for the name of the customer because you want to fix the issue. Be careful. Don’t ask: “Who said that?” Simply make a request like this: “Is there any way you can share your source with me? I want to have this matter fixed. If not, will you pass on my contact information and make sure they call me right away so I can make this right?”
- Give your candid assessment with facts. About 15 years ago I had a large prospective customer tell me that she was concerned with our implementation team. I scheduled a meeting with our VP of Operations who oversaw implementation. I almost stopped the meeting 30 seconds in, but then I learned the lesson of candor, and how valuable it is to customers. My VP of Operations started by telling her that his initial assessment of our implementation was that it “stunk”. However, he went on to share that his assessment was almost two years ago and that his number one initiative was to fix it. He then went into detail sharing everything his team had done, and even ended with several references to call.
Of course, you can never be too prepared, so try to anticipate the negative reviews. However, when something out of the blue hits you, fall back to this three step routine and you’ll be fine.
