 President's
Corner
I hope
your new year has started off
well! This week I am going to
write a little about taking
criticism from note holders and
making it work for you.
No one relishes criticism, especially when you don't think it's deserved and
have gone out of your way to do your best. But how you as a small business
owner respond to criticism can make a huge difference in terms of how you feel
about yourself and how your customers feel about you.
If you
have any doubts about this, just watch a couple of episodes of television talent
competitions like 'American Idol' or 'Project Runway'.
Granted the contestants on these shows may not be small-business owners, but
they are competing in a professional field - and a particularly tough one at
that. Also, while the judges on these shows may be meaner and nastier than
most customers, if you watch you'll notice the winning performers are excellent
models for how to artfully accept even the cruelest criticism.
First
and foremost, they keep their objective in mind. In their case, it's to
remain appealing to the viewers and ultimately the judges, who they hope will be
voting for them. In your case, the goal is to retain interested note
holders whenever possible and maintain your reputation and goodwill with your
community and within the note industry as a whole.
Of
course, when zapped with what feels like unjustified criticism, the temptation
is to become defensive, then disagree, justify and/or explain. But as
these shows illustrate so dramatically, justified or not, such reactions just
make the critics all the more determined to make their points.
So
when note holders complain about how big the discount is or that it is taking
too long, the best approach is to smile, nod, ask for clarification if you don't
fully understand how you might better serve them and then say thank you.
By doing this, your customers (note holders), like other judges of performance,
will feel heard and most likely won't amplify their complaints. Then you
are free to go on with your day and incorporate whatever is helpful from their
feedback into your service, just as winning contestants do each week in talent
competitions.
Again,
if you watch these shows, you'll quickly see that those who don't listen and
adjust rarely progress, while those who do usually get better and better, just
as you can, as the weeks go by. Try this approach on the next time a note
holder criticizes you and make it work for you.
Remember, Success Demands
Action!
Keep on marketing, it’s going to
work! TWITA!
|
