and the 3 steps to dealing with it

You can also listen and subscribe to The Anxious Creative on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify.

Oh my goodness! I’m so excited about this podcast. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a solo episode. 

I had so much fun chatting with all the amazing guests I’ve had over the past few months, but I’m super excited for an episode just the two of us!

In this episode, I’m gonna be talking about something that I get DM’d about *all.the.time*, and not many people are really comfortable talking about it. 

Negative reviews. 

Yikes right? Let’s be honest, have you been scared to get a bad review? I know I definitely have!

The thing is, we need to reframe how a bad review can work for our business (in a positive way). 

You’re Not For Everyone

You’ve heard me say it before and I’ll say it again: “you’re not for everyone and that’s a good thing”. 

We live in a world with so many different people and personalities that there’s always a chance that you can get a bad review. Unfortunately, there’s no way to avoid that. 

More often than not, the stress and anxiety that comes with the thought of a bad review is from not being able to control the outcome. 

I know you’re an anxious person like me, and I know that negative reviews can make that anxiety go through the roof and you start to obsess and fixate over what you “should’ve done differently”. 

More often than not bad reviews come from customers that we haven’t seen in a long time, someone who’s never been in, or someone who said they were happy with their hair when they left their appointment. 

This causes even more confusion and more obsessing over the situation. 

Let me share an example of when this happened to me:

I was about to teach my hair painting technique to a couple of stylists, but right before I was going to teach them they sent me an email letting me know that they didn’t want the education from me anymore because they had to fix one of my clients’ hair.

This came completely out of the blue and I immediately started stressing and obsessing, trying to figure out which client it was and wondering what could’ve gone wrong.

I ended up emailing the hairstylists back that I understood and I wished the client would’ve let me know so I had a chance to fix it for them. 

Did it make me feel crappy and feel bad about myself? Yes. But let’s change the way we view these bad reviews!

3 Simple Ways to Put a Positive Spin on a Bad Review

Here it is, the information you’ve been waiting for! Let’s dive in, shall we?

1. A bad review shows people that you’re human

Can I be totally honest with you for a second? I actually *like* to see a bad review. I get suspicious when I only see 5-star reviews. No one’s perfect 100% of the time. A bad review can show potential clients that you’re not for everyone (and that’s a good thing!).

2. A bad review shows people how you respond to conflict

If you take anything away from this, let it be this: you’re not responding to the bad review for the person who wrote it. You’re responding to the bad review for the person who’s reading it. 

Yup, read that again if you need to. By responding with kindness, compassion and empathy, and thinking about the potential client who might be reading this down the road, you can create a positive spin on your business. 

3. A kind, compassionate and empathetic response to a bad review eases the anxiety for potential clients showing them that you’re mature and level-headed.

*BONUS TIP* Take it offline immediately. Don’t go back and forth with the bad reviewer. Try this script:

“I’m sorry to hear that’s your experience. That’s not at all what I want for you. Please reach out to me here [insert contact info] and let’s come up with a solution together”.

You’re allowed to feel crappy, sad, bummed out or any other feeling when you get a bad review. Allow yourself to feel those feelings, that’s also an important part. 

Remember to respond, don’t react. 

Using these 3 simple tips can help you turn that bad review into your business’s secret weapon. 

Want to learn how to avoid fixes, miscommunications and more? Check out my free on-demand consultation workshop. This workshop goes deep into creating custom consultations with your clients for the best communication and appointments ever!

Go on, binge the latest posts (you know you wanna)…