Dealing with negative customer feedback
What would you do if an customer was not satisfied with a product that you sold and tried to tell you what he felt about it? Would you be able to accept the customer’s evaluation of the product’s experience?
I told my regular sales guy for health supplements that I thought one of his products tastes nasty, like drinking powdered plastic. The reaction I received was a defensive one, right from the start. The issues he addressed did not relate to what I was trying to tell him (Him: “This product is high in roughage.”, Me: “This tastes like crap.”). It was only after I pointed out to him that I was contributing customer feedback that the fences went down just a tad.
That was an opportunity for my sales guy to strengthen the customer relationship. Rather than take a defensive stance, a tone that is more empathetic would have worked more to his favour. By gettting to “my” side of the equation, it would have been far easier to make up for the subpar customer experience.
“I’m sorry that you felt it tastes so bad. We approved the product for consumption by our customers only after it has passed our tests. We value you as a customer and we want to continue making our relationship a mutually beneficial one. We can offer you an exchange for the product to any other available flavour or you can swap this product for a different one of the same or lower price. How about that?”
It’s entirely possible that I have decided not to continue my customer relationship with him but the company would have left a lasting and positive impression in my mind.