Ignoring negative feedback is bad for business, but trying to gin up your reputation with help from your network is even worse. Here’s a typical scenario … Your business has no written reviews. Then, a disgruntled customer posts scathing comments about your company. You don’t respond to the criticism. But just like magic, within a week, five glowing reviews appear out of nowhere.
This happened recently with a business owner I know. Someone blasted the company in a Google review. Less than two weeks later, the business logged numerous five-star reviews that weren’t sincere. What’s my proof? I know the people who wrote the reviews. One was the owner’s son, who has a different last name. Another was a former business associate who had a self-serving reason for being nice. The others were similarly connected to the owner. Strategies like this have a way of backfiring, making the company look untrustworthy and desperate. Instead of fixing the problem, it only compounds the damage to the brand’s reputation. Furthermore, it drives away prospective customers who can see through the façade.
The smart, professional approach would have been to respond to the original complaint directly. By recognizing the customer’s concerns, owning the problem and sharing corrective steps, the owner would have shown a commitment to customer satisfaction. Above all, this response could have turned a negative situation into a positive one. Instead, the owner appears to be trying to sweep the original feedback under the rug.
