In the life of every business, you’ll encounter people who don’t understand what you do or are downright jealous of your success. Petty competitors, angry customers or sometimes old enemies rear their hate and blast it all over the internet for others to read.
How Do Entrepreneurs Deal With Haters?
At some point in your business’ life, you’ll encounter a negative review, jealous competitor or disgruntled ex-employee. While some concerns are valid, when people take it beyond a simple factual statement and begin attacking you personally, it can be hard to understand.
Another scenario is when you’ve tried your best to make an irate customer happy but they keep trashing you online.
GlobalNewswire reports around 95% of people read online reviews before buying. About 58% say they’d pay a little more if a brand had mostly positive reviews. Figuring out how to deal with negative comments about your brand is a must.
1. Consider the Facts
Does the person have a point? No one is perfect. Perhaps you made mistakes in your business that you’ve since rectified. If so, respond to a negative comment or review with an apology and an explanation of how you’ve fixed the issue.
2. Avoid Fake Reviews
Since positive reviews have so much power to drive revenue, you might be tempted to pay for a positive five-star review or elicit the help of family and friends. However, creating a fake environment for reviews almost always backfires. You could even be subject to the consequences of false advertising such actions bring.
3. Be Human
Sometimes people go into attack mode when dealing with companies because they don’t see that there are real people behind the brand. Don’t defend yourself, but do offer some rationale or explanation. Tell your story and that you’re constantly improving because you want your customers to be happy.
The person you’re responding to on social media or a review site might not be convinced, but others will see your effort and feel more sympathetic toward you.
4. Seek Transparency
A recent study showed about 60% of consumers worry about how brands use the personal information they collect. How do you create a balance between making it seem like your brand is horrible and being open and honest?
One example might be that your shipping department sent the wrong order out to two customers on the same day, mixing up the items. One customer goes online and complains on your social media page.
Your best course of action is to fix the issue and then respond. You might say, “Our business is growing and we made a mistake, mixing up your order with another customer’s. We’ve already shipped out the correct products overnight to you. You should have them tomorrow. Don’t worry about returning the other items. As it was our error, we want you to keep them, give them to a friend or donate them. Thanks for giving us a chance to make things right.”
Others will see that you acted immediately to fix the situation and the customer should be happy with the outcome. Make sure you fix the issue for both customers without being asked.
5. Ignore Nonsense
You might find situations where no matter what you say you can’t fix a situation. Perhaps a competitor is using a fake name to attack you or a heckler thinks it’s funny to say mean things about your brand.
Sometimes you have to just stay out of the emotional side of the situation and not respond. Block them where you can, such as on your social media pages. Don’t respond if there isn’t anything constructive you can add to the conversation. You only give the haters steam and propel them to say more.
When Should You Ignore Haters?
It’s difficult to know when to ignore negative reviews and hateful comments and when to respond. Use your best judgment. Keep in mind that other people besides the hater will see your words. If you feel emotional, frustrated or fed up, it isn’t the right time to respond.
Take a step back, seek advice from your mentors and respond only when it’s beneficial to your business or your relationship with a customer.
Eleanor is editor of Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.
