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At our recent 2-day legal marketing seminar, we had an attorney who had gotten his first negative review online. Naturally, he was upset about it. But after being able to set his personal feelings aside, he realized it was important that he respond the right way.
So he asked during the group session, how do I handle a negative review?
We find that one of the biggest reasons attorneys are hesitant to get involved with social media and online review sites is that they are afraid they will get a negative review. Let me share something with you: you will always have someone who is not happy with your services, but to avoid using a powerful platform altogether because you are fearful that someone will give you a negative review doesn’t make sense.
The question is NOT if you will get a negative review but WHEN you will.
The way to successfully handle a negative review is first, to have as many positive reviews as possible. Think about it, the last time you went to order something on Amazon, did the product have both positive and negative reviews? Of course!
But you still purchased it right? Why? Because innately we all know that no matter what product or service is sold, there will always be someone who is not happy. So as long as we see more positive reviews than negative ones, we usually still invest in the product or service.
The second way to effectively handle a negative review is to recognize that it is just feedback. Maybe there is a blind spot in your firm that you are not aware of and by asking people to review you and give their honest feedback, you have the opportunity to grow, learn and improve the client experience. Although the experience can be painful, it is necessary if you really want to wow the client and build a lifestyle law firm.
If someone reviews you negatively on an open platform, don’t ignore it, address it quickly and professionally. Let the individual know you are sorry they are not happy and will do everything in your power to make it right. Let them know that although you have worked with 100s of clients who are happy with your services, to hear that there is even just one who is unhappy upsets and concerns you.
