MAIN IMAGE: ß – CEO of Creative Web Concepts
Senior writer
There are many ways that negative reviews may be communicated, but likely the worst are those that are posted online. In this instance the review could go viral reaching any number of consumers. Your initial reaction may be to retaliate and defend yourself, but generally this can be a mistake and could become a contentious gun-slinging duel that can quickly spiral out of control.
Typical online negative reviews:
From buyers:
- “Could not reach this agent for days … the agent did not return calls.”
- “The agent could not answer our questions and seemed distracted.”
- “The agent did not disclose defects that were obvious to the eye. As first-time home buyers we did not know what to look for, and needed guidance, which she did not provide.”
- “The agent was late and rushed us through the property in 10 minutes. Very unprofessional.”
- “The images and description posted by the agent were deceiving. The house was in very poor condition and when we questioned this, the agent shrugged it off. A waste of time.”
From sellers:
- “The sole mandated agent only brought two potential buyers to us in two months. We ended up doing the marketing ourselves and sold it within the first week at the price advertised.”
- “Our agent kept bringing buyers to our house without an appointment. I also heard most of them saying to him that our property did not meet their specifications anyway.”
- “We made an offer on a property that was not yet on the market, and which the owner accepted. An agent heard about this and took potential buyers to the owner, who made a higher offer that we couldn’t match. This felt like a hijacking. We will never use this agent.”
- “The agent kept presenting offers under our asking price, which he had determined as the right value for the area in the first place.”
Why reviews are important
The good … Innumerable global websites are in agreement. A good review attracts new leads and brings returning buyers and sellers back to your stable. They are also helpful in being able to measure your own performance, build your reputation, and establishes trust in the marketplace.
The bad … Negative reviews are equally important. Even if unwarranted or the retelling of an incidence is misleading, the learnings can be used to change your approach and inform how you approach any similar characters or incidents in the future.
The ugly … These are likely to be devastating to your career and reputation. Extreme negative reviews are a reflection of someone’s anger. If the commentary can be proven to be untrue, and you have taken measures to address the client’s concerns, you may have the right to file a legal defamation case.
Your response
The trick to handling negative online reviews, according to the US online platform realtor.com, is not to react without taking a moment to assess. Taking the review personally is understandable, after all this is often not merely your own character that is impacted, but possibly also the branding of the entire franchise you work for, or the agency owner.
CEO, Shelly Costello, of Creative Web Concepts, a social media marketing firm, says that ignoring a bad review may also not be the answer; and that by responding it shows your followers that you care about your client’s concerns. This, however, needs to be handled with enormous tact. She recommends the following:
- Give an immediate response but keep it short. Acknowledge the gripe (whether legitimate or not), apologise for how it affected them, and take responsibility by providing them with answers.
- Get more information. Invite the party to talk further with you in private, investigate, and come to an amicable solution.
- Post an update, so that those following the situation are kept informed. Also ask the commenter if they are also willing to post an update.
- Be honest: If you are in the wrong, admit it, showing your followers that you are prepared to take responsibility for your actions and will work hard to ensure this doesn’t happen in the future.
“If you handle it well, a difficult situation can work to your benefit. You can show your network that you are responsive, compassionate, and able to solve customer issues,” said Costello.
Tricks of the trade
It is in your best interests to collect a regular stream of good reviews. It’s one of the fastest ways to become known as a reputable agent and can be used in support of your marketing strategy.
Here are other tips:
- Do an online search of your name, and regularly. You may be surprised to find reviews that you have missed.
- Always ask clients for a review. These prove that you are a professional and can literally be a game-changer when a seller is trying to choose between a number of real estate agents.
- Add a rating tool to your profiles. A simple star rating of between one and five not only informs future customers of your value, it also gives you an idea of your own performance and perceptions of you in the market.
- Drown bad reviews with good ones. This is a bit chancy but consider reposting a negative review and ask your peers, associates and happy customers whether they agree with the review. You may end up with more top star ratings and excellent comments about your service.
- Always respond tactfully … even if just to say “thank you for your feedback. I’m sorry you are disappointed.” This shows others that you care about feedback and prepared to acknowledge an issue. Responding well to negative reviews demonstrates good customer service.
- Don’t be disheartened. You can’t please everyone all the time. And don’t always strive for a five-star rating; some people will never give a perfect score because they believe that everyone has room for improvement.
