On this site and many others you are encouraged to get feedback from your customers as part of marketing your brand.
It was only talking to a friend with a new business that I realised if you are new to this it can be kind of scary.
As we discussed it further one concern was potential negative feedback. I mentioned that if it is negative then it is better you hear about it than being unaware. You can also take action to improve or fix the situation if it is negative.
Without feedback it is really difficult to improve as no matter what you think you will always be a little subjective. After all it is personal as it is your business.
To make this area less scary and personal, try asking yourself these two questions:
What is the purpose?
This means why are you asking for feedback? It is about improving specific product or service features, customer service, product or service quality for example.
Get it clear in your mind why you want the feedback as this helps to get objectivity into the whole subject. It also helps you when designing the questions to ask.
Are you going to take action?
Asking is one thing, doing something with the information is another. Of course you do need to be sure that you get enough information to be representative of your customer base unless you are gaining the feedback that is specific to each customer.
If you just collect the information and let it gather dust then asking for feedback in the first place is a waste of time.
Once you have the information and put it in into action it provides you with the opportunity to contact those customers who provided the feedback.
Don’t take it personally
When you get the feedback do not take it personally if it is not all positive. This can be difficult at first, especially if you offer a service. However remember you are asking for a particular purpose and no business or person is perfect.
If you think about it if you do not gain feedback you may be missing out on real opportunities and if you never ask you will never know. It also gets easier and less scary each time you do ask for feedback.
Over to you, do you encourage feedback and do you have any tips to share?
Hi Susan
Feedback sometimes just comes naturally, othertimes not.
The act of asking for feedback opens the communication lines and generally people like being asked for their valuable insights.Remembering once you have asked to actually “listen”
Listening will allow the client to feel heard and valued. In themselves these are good starting points to move a relationship forward.
Hi Ensha,
Very good point about listening. Doing this actually helps the person put the focus on the customer and not them. One other thing is you need to manage the expectations after gaining feedback as it is not always practical to implement all feedback suggestions.
Thanks for your thoughts Ensha.
Hi Susan
Yes I agree, in regards to expectations best to be clear about what you are able to to differently or be more or less flexible with. Often just doing one small thing will make that huge difference.
Very practical advice Ensha and great advice.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ensha Reiya and Susan Oakes, Susan Oakes. Susan Oakes said: Asking for Customer Feedback Does Not Have To Be Scary http://bit.ly/bdgisU [...]
I used to dread hearing from my customers. It rarely meant anything good, and over time your response can become almost Palovian if there isn’t enough good mixed in with the bad.
I learned though, that once I actually solicited feedback, the good DID outwiegh the bad, and my enthusiasm for my business got a nice pick me up.
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Hi Paul,
I think most do at first but some will not admit it. It is good to hear that you kept it as many would not and stop. I actually look forward to it as customers can look at things differently and I would not have found opportunities to grow the business.
Thanks for you comment.
Awesome post Susan and great choice of picture!
You are so right about the importance of asking for feedback but equally correct about it being intimidating and a bit frightening.
I think it all comes back to one of the most basic of human fears: rejection. It is a scary thing for me. Then on the opposite end I see Rivkah whose most uncomfortable feedback is praise and compliments which she gets all of the time at work but is embarrassed by (written with her permission).
But as you state, no matter the feedback, no matter the emotions, it is what we do with it that can help us develop ourselves and further our businesses.
Thanks for another GREAT article,
Yoni
Hi Yoni,
You are so right about the fear of rejection. I know even when I worked in companies, getting research results was initially a little daunting. Over time I changed and really look forward to it. I can understand what Rivkah feels as sometimes people are not comfortable getting praise, but I say just think of the alternative.
Thanks as always for your comments.
Asking for Customer Feedback Can Be Scary…
Getting customer feedback may be scary at first but is is vital for marketing success. Without feedback it is really difficult to improve as no matter what you think you will always be a little subjective. After all it is personal as it is your busines…
I agree that asking for feedback will bring more constructive feedback. If your customers know you are taking action to improve services they are more likely to give feedback in a positive way. It is better to ask than to hear it from someone else.
Hi Julia,
It is better to hear it from them than via someone else. Also good point about us being seen to take action as I think customers will want to help the business improve. After reading the comments and talking to others I wonder just how many small businesses actually do ask for feedback?
Statistics are often quoted that for every ONE dissatisfied customer you have there are at least another 8 to 10 people. That’s actually broader than the number of people we might tell about a good experience. So when someone gives you something they didn’t like get all the details and correct it. You have more people who would have told you if they felt safe to do so.
I like all the feedback I can get!
Hi Patricia,
Great point about making them feel safe to give feedback. When they do you will usually find that the feedback is more constructive. Also you are right about getting all the details as this is where the rich information is that we can use.
Agree with you Susan, feedback is essential.
Catch is most people don’t want to hear anything negative. Add to that that people giving feedback love to critisise and it makes sense that most people hesitate to ask for feedback.
But there is no avoiding it. Unless you find out what points you need to improve you will stagnate. And that’s not the way to build a business.
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Hi Catarina,
It is tough to hear negative feedback and one thing I found is to put the feedback into perspective and not take what they said at all times literally. You are right in the end there is no way to avoid it if we want to improve.
Thanks for your thoughts on the subject.
“Don’t take it personally” – that is the key to being able to ask for and accept feedback. For some of us, that’s easier said than done. I’ve often been overheard muttering to myself, “it’s business, don’t take it personally”. On the other hand, if I want to succeed, I have to be open to hearing what my clients have to say and the best way to do that is to openly encourage feedback – both the good and the bad.
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Hi Sherryl,
It is difficult and at first it takes a lot to open up to feedback. I think it can be helped in the way feedback is asked to take away some of the personal aspect.
Thanks for your comment.
For me I love feedback that I can do something about. I don’t do well with generalized criticism that presents no solution. Still, I suppose, I’d rather know about it, especially if it is a problem that many are experiencing.
I think your article is an important reminder though for all business owners. We do need to hear positive and negative feedback so that we can provide what our customers need and want!
Laura Sherman recently posted..Did You Write Today
Hi Laura,
I totally agree about generalised criticism. The comments on this post remind me that I should have included how to phrase the questions to ask as this can make a big difference to attracting negative comments versus gaining feedback to improve products or services in a positive way.
Thanks for your comment Laura.