Word
of mouth used to be the way that consumers evaluated the products and services
they were interested in purchasing. The rapid adoption of the Internet - along
with mobile devices giving easy access to online review sites - has
exponentially escalated the power of the consumer in 2017.
So
what can a business do, and what can a salesperson do when confronted with a
negative online review?
First,
let's consider what would prompt someone to leave a review for Electronic
Merchant Systems. Our business is not a
trendy restaurant or coffee shop so leaving a review is not something our tens
of thousands of satisfied customers are compelled to do. Very few people take
the time to go online to praise their cell phone or gas company ... or for that
matter, their merchant services company.
This
means that if we turned a blind eye to our listings on review sites, we would
end up with primarily negative reviews. EMS follows a best practice of
responding in a non-confrontational, helpful manner to negative reviews. The
problem is that there are numerous sites out there and new ones popping up with
regularity. Many of these review sites are shady and nonsense websites out
there that exist to discredit companies.
Legitimate review sites do not add their own commentary, require a
reviewer to login and authenticate, and always allow for a business owner
response. Unfortunately, the payments industry has several sites that are
missing all of the aforementioned trust elements.
What EMS is
Doing About Reputation Management
IMHO,
Google My Business is the most important (and mainstream) of all the review
sites, and every business has a listing. They dominate the search market, and a
company's Google My Business listing appears on a company name search at the
top of the right side column. Google My
Business is also the simplest site to get reviews on since most people have a
Google login. Check out our Google listing and view real EMS clients giving
their honest feedback - https://g.co/kgs/6ud3EG
.
EMS
is also investing in improving our Glassdoor.com presence by enhancing our
listing and asking for employee reviews.
Though primarily a review site for job searchers, it regularly appears
"above the fold" on page 1 of Google searches and serves as an
important trust element. Plans are in
the works to also address other legitimate, mainstream review sites that start
to gain consumer traction.
How
Can a Salesperson Overcome the Objections of a Negative Review?
Make
sure the prospect understands that any big company is going to have some
complaints online. Inform them of credible third party reviews Electronic
Merchant Systems has received. This lets the third-party sources do the
talking. These could be EMS' Google My Business link or our Better Business
Bureau A+ rating. Always be prepared to show your prospects how to locate these
trust elements.
Try
to illustrate the fact that you can find negative reviews about everything
under the sun – even products that 99% of people love. Try this technique and
see if it works for you:
1. "I respect that you were doing some
research. That's important, and I recommend it. Do you mind if I ask you where
you came across this review?"
2. "And do you mind my asking, "Who
is your cellular carrier?"
3. "Will you do me a favor? Go to the
website where you saw the negative review, and search the site for reviews of
Verizon or Sprint (or any other company whose products they might use daily).
If
you get completely hung up on trying to convince them their
"findings" on the Internet are completely ridiculous and that they
need to see it your way, then you're going to lose them. Don't be pushy. Be
professional! Possibly time for,
"This opportunity may not be for YOU."
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