How to Prevent & Handle a Bad Review

Hello, friend. Welcome back to the Modern Hairstylist Podcast. We are going to be attacking a cool topic today, an intense topic today, one that many of us are all fearful of, and that is getting a bad review. Dun, dun, dun.

Kaitlyn, how are you? I was gonna do the exact same thing, just pop in like, "Dun, dun, dun." Dun, dun. Dude, we need a soundboard.

That would be epic. No. Oh, my God, we need a soundboard. We totally should.

We're getting a soundboard. Um, okay, friends, hello. How are you? I hope that you're doing so well today.

We are going to be attacking this topic head-on. I know, I know, like, a one-star Yelp review, a one-star Google My Business review, it is infuriating, right? It can make you look bad to other people. It can hurt your business potentially, possibly maybe.

It can feel really viscerally degrading. It can make you feel really shitty about yourself. It can make you really angry. Like, I, I, I understand all those feelings, and although I've never gotten a bad review in my salon business ever, I have gotten a bad review in my education business.

And actually, I lied. I think that I got bad reviews when I was in my commission salon a long time ago, but, like, they were all BS, you know, and I don't remember them at all. But regardless, I have gotten bad reviews in my education business, and they have actually taught me a fuck-ton. And they have changed my perspective about how I'm doing things, and they've also, like, challenged me to really be, like, a mature human being and, like, step into, like, the right mindset.

And I proved to myself, like, how I can navigate, you know, my life as a business owner and my business, period. And, um, I'm excited to share my perspective with you guys today. I'm excited to share with you, I think, some proactive ways to help you not to receive a bad review, and also how to respond to a bad review when you get one and actually make it something that can actually help you in growing your business in the right way instead of actually harm you, and where you can make the most out of a bad situation. So, if you are down to get into it with us today here at the Modern Hairstylist Podcast, then let's get into it.

Let me guess. You are a hustling, bustling hairstylist behind the chair, working so hard to build a beautiful career for yourself, one that gives you time, freedom, and energy to spend with yourself, your family, and your friends. But you feel like you're always working in your business, even when you're not behind the chair. My name's Hunter Donia, and I help you automate your systems and implement really beautiful strategies so you can grow your business without the overwhelm.

And this is the Modern Hairstylist Podcast. Kaitlyn. Hunter. Kaitlyn, have you ever gotten a bad review?

I was actually just thinking about it. I, I don't know that I ever had one when I was a solo stylist, but I do think I got a bad review when I was, like, early on in my commission styling days. But I honestly can't remember offhand. I, I was the type of person that, like, any bad review that came in, whether it was for me or not, like, I took it, like, very personally.

I was like, "Oh, man, like, what can we do to make this better?" Even if it was about, like, my, my coworker. So, I know we definitely got reviews, but I can't remember if it was for me or not. I feel like team salons are, like, when- 100% more vulnerable to bad reviews.

I, I know that, I rem- I just remember, like, the booking system that we had, it must have, like, asked for reviews in our emails or something like that, and I just remember there was, like, a massive, huge list of, like, reviews. And, like, I would scroll through, and, like, there, it was all over the place as far as, like, five star, one star, whatever it may be. But some people just have, like, some stupid-ass reasons for some bad re- like, to leave a bad review, you know? And, you know, maybe that's where I wanna start off, maybe possibly.

A lot of the time, you as a consumer, like, think about it, like, you, my friend, listening to this right now, think about it. If you're, like, scrolling through a, a business's bad reviews on Google My Business, right, you're able to tell what is bullshit and who's just a crazy Karen and, like, who's not for the most part, right? And you're able to, like, s- like, sometimes, like, really see through the BS of a lot of things. But regardless, regardless, regardless if this person was crazy or not, regardless of whether or not you feel like you did the best job or not that you possibly could, a bad review can sting.

And it can bring up a lot of different feelings, and it can really hurt your ego, um, and it can really make you fearful for the perception of your business as far as your local area goes and whoever is going to be wanting to do business with you, right? And so I know that it'll bring up a whole lot of feelings. I know it can bring up a whole lot of feelings, and I don't think there's any way around those feelings. I think that I've learned the hard way, you know, over the past, like, just, I mean, 10 years of my life in this career.

I've just learned that, like, s- those shitty feelings just, like, aren't gonna go away. I mean, they, you're gonna just have to, instead of trying to work around them, you just have to work right through them and, like, feel them for a day. For me, it's always 24 hours. Like, for me, it's always, like, 24 to 48 hours, and then, like, I wake up the next day, and, like, my brain is reset, and I'm like, "Okay, like, it's fine.

Like, let's, let's keep it pushing. Let's keep it moving." You know? And, like, no matter how much I talk about it, no ha- matter how much I mindset my way out of it, no matter how much I talk to my therapist about it, I'm still gonna feel the fucking feelings, you know?

And this is just, this goes for anything in your business, but with something like this, there's so many different angles to it, and I totally understand why it could be super emotional. But I promise you, like, when you first see this review, you're going to have a very visceral, emotional response to it, no matter what, no matter what you are, who you are, et cetera, et cetera. And there are going to be so many emotions that come up, and there's gonna be so many ways that you are going to want to react. There's gonna be so many ways that you want to react.

And what I really encourage you to do, 'cause I know that I have screwed myself over in the past, I know that I have almost made decisions that I probably would have regretted later out of emotional reaction to things in my business, um, I really want you to just please, please take a step back-Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and feel your feelings, and do not take any action for a good 24 hours, if not 48 hours. Like, really, really consider the impact that you'll make in your own business based upon your actions and your emotions. 80 to 85% of all, uh, decisions that we make as human beings are made off of our emotions, not actual logic. Let's flip that on its head, okay?

Let's, like, let's, like, change that standard for ourselves as CEOs. Because good CEOs do not react emotionally unless it is called for and it makes sense. So, I know this is fucking hard. And guess what?

We are, we've all either been here in one way or another, or we have all had the intense fear of this in one way or another. And, you know, we're all in this together and we're in this fucking crazy-ass world where, like, anybody can say anything about you, you know, and anybody can find you, and you have a public perception of yourself. And, like, it's a really strange world we live in, and it's not necessarily, like, a natural, a natural world that we live in right now. Like, you, as a human being, were not really designed to be, to be handling things like this.

But I've, you know, I've just, with the, all the experience that I've had as a human being, um, getting, like, hate online, being bullied online, like, and even now, like, getting bad reviews online or, like, getting reposted and made fun of, like, on other hair accounts and stuff like that, like, I understand how really difficult it can be. But truly, you just have to feel that feeling and you just have to let it fucking happen before you react, because how you react can change everything for you, and it can move you forward so hard, and you can learn so much from it, and you can really grow your business in the way that you react if you react the right way. Caitlin, what do you, what do you have to share? I am very guilty of this.

I feel like we all are to a degree. But, like, I, I am a very emotional speaker. When somebody tells me something that... I- if I got a bad review, for example, like, I would be devastated.

Like, regardless of what it said, like, if it's them saying that they were disappointed in a service with me, I would be absolutely gutted. And especially if it was them just, like, ab- completely shitting on me, like, calling me, like, a terrible hairstylist or whatever, I would immediately be like, "Well, fuck you." But that's not what we do as CEOs. Like, we have to still take the high road and, like, be professional about it.

So it's, I, it is such a tricky thing, but I, I just wanna echo what Hunter said. Like, I completely agree, like, taking a solid 24 to 48 hours to just, like... If, like, your feelings are valid, like, first of all. Like, whatever you feel when you get a bad review, that, that's not a bad thing.

Like, you're completely valid in those feelings, but it's how you respond that's gonna make the biggest difference. So, really taking a beat to, taking a beat to, like, think about how you want to respond in a professional way, I think, is just really, really important. Yeah, your feelings are extremely valid, like, 100%. Like I said, like, we all would have gone, we, we've all been there in one way or another in our businesses, right?

Whether it was, like, a public bad review or even just, like, a client freaking out at us and, like, degrading us over, like, text message or something like that, right? Like, we've all been there. What I think has helped me in making sure that I don't emotionally respond is just always practicing approaching my business as the CEO, not Hunter. I really think that what helps, and it's so hard to do, and it's, like, so much easier said than done, but really separating Hunter and, like, my own worth and my own personal value from my business.

Like, they are two completely separate different things. Like, like, me as a service provider behind the chair, like, and delivering a product and, like, running a business, like, that is a different Hunter. Like, that is a different part of my life, and I have to approach that part, part of my life with different mindsets and perspectives and different actions than Hunter in my own personal life, right, like, as a human being, would approach those things. Like, you need to think about, like, the wellbeing of your company from a higher perspective and understand that, like, when you're working with the public, as we all are, especially in something that feels so personal to somebody, that can be so vulnerable to somebody, right?

This shit is inevitable. Like, this is just going to happen. And quite honestly, I know that it's not necessarily what we signed up, what we wanted to sign up for, but it's what we signed up for. Like, we are opening ourselves to this type of public critique and these type of visceral emotions from other people, like, because we're just working with the public in such a, um, vulnerable and intimate way.

So, the tea is, I want you to know that, like, this is gonna suck no matter what. There's no way out of that. However, try and approach it as a business, as, from an analytical perspective. I ha- heard a life coach at a business retreat that I was at one time.

She was like, "What if you did $0 in a month?" Or, like, "What if you had no clients book with you in a month?" Like, and instead of, like, feeling like, oh my God, my business is failing, my business is spiraling, I'm trash, I'm garbage, like, everything is dying around me, instead of, like, freaking out like that, what if we could just sit back and say, "Hmm. That's interesting."

What if we could just sit back and look at, look at the data, like, look at what's literally happening, like, on paper, right, and be like, "Hmm. This is fascinating." Like, "Why is this happening?" Like, "Let's, like, like, this is interesting, and this is actually going to help me grow as a business in the future, and this is something that I can learn to take in stride and learn how to at least make it to the most of my advantage."

You know? So, let's try to approach this as CEOs as much as we possibly can. Let's feel those emotions, 'cause like I said, there's no way around them, but let's not react until we're ready to step into the CEO role again, okay? Because if we're not ready-...

To approach our business as a living, breathing thing by itself and approach it in a smart, analytical way, then let's, like, keep on feeling the feelings until we're through with it and we're feeling a little bit better and a little bit more clear with a c- clearer mindset. Okay? Are we cool with that? Cool.

So before we talk about how to react, okay, properly, I would like to talk about, like, some proactive ways, okay, to like, not get a bad review. Because I feel like, like, let's just avoid the problem in the first place. You guys know me, okay? I'm all about fighting the source of the issue, making sure the issue doesn't even happen instead of figuring out how to deal with the symptoms.

Because dealing with the symptoms, yes, is important, like dealing with the medication that will make the pain better is important, but fighting the source of the problem and preventing the problem from even happening in the first place, being proactive, is much more of an efficient strategy, right? And where we should be focusing the majority of our time, actually. So, some proactive ways that you can, um, not receive a bad review. Number one, I believe open and honest communication, first and foremost, upfront.

I think that having really honest conversations with your client and making them know that they are, like, safe to, like, tell you things and, like, making them feel really comfortable and, like, getting out of your own ego and expressing your genuine care and concern for how they're feeling as far as how they're doing business with you from the very beginning. I think that that is, like, a really important way and a really e- uh, efficient way of avoiding something like this from happening. Because instead of going to Google and not even telling you about their concerns at all, they'll feel more comfortable going to you, and then maybe you'll have the opportunity and the chance to approach that situation head on and have a conversation with that person about it, and just bite it- bite it in the ass in the first place. But if we're approaching our businesses from such a egotistical or not even egotistical, but maybe even just timid or like shy way because we're so scared of, like, hurting our own egos or we're so scared of, like, feeling judged or feeling less than or whatever it may be, then if we're feeling like that, then we're- we are- we are literally, like, rejecting the opportunity for us to not only grow, but also avoid things like this happening.

You know what I mean? And so I think just like- I mean, I always sit down and have a consultation with my client eye to eye and tell them like, "I really want you to be comfortable. I want you to know, like, this is a nonjudgmental zone." In my automated welcome email sequence that we teach in pre-visit pathway, you know, and in our onboarding packet, like, we- we use copy and verbiage that makes our clients feel really safe when they're walking into the door and gives the client a really clear understanding of like the type of environment that they're w- they're walking into and the type of service provider that you are.

And I feel like that really just helps to set the tone from the very beginning and make sure the client really knows what the T is. And the other thing is that when you have like an application process, when you're screening your clients before they're ever coming into your door, then you know that they're gonna be the right fit for you and you know that you're gonna be able to do a good job on them because they're looking for services that you specialize in, that you're comfortable in And so that just avoids all of this shit by itself because you know that there's aligned ideal people who you can take good care of, who you do great services on, right? Um, so that's just another way in itself, right? Just like making sure that the right clients are coming through your door.

You're not doing business with just some randos. I mean, that's why team salons are so much more vulnerable to this shit because it's just completely open to the public and people are just walking in and out and booking appointments from left and right. But when you're a solo provider or even if you are a salon and you are having a screening process and making sure that the right clients are booked up with the right stylists or you, right? Then that just makes sure that from the very beginning that everybody has a better experience and you reduce the chance of getting a bad reputation because you are only doing good work because you are passionate about the work you're doing and the people that you're doing them on, period.

Another way to be proactive in this is in your verbiage. Uh, do not do not- do not get all defensive. A- get- this is the same thing when you- when as- somebody reaches out to you about a customer service request, when somebody even asks you just a basic question, when you feel like somebody is trying to break your boundaries, fucking please respond professionally. Respond in a customer-centric way.

I am not saying break your boundaries. I'm not saying that. Y'all, I mean, why the fuck would I say that? I- this is- that's literally- like, that's all that I teach is boundaries.

But like what we- like, stay strong in your boundaries, but what ends up happening is, is that we feel so like intensely emotional about it because they may be like annoying you in the moment and it's the same thing, it's like emotionally reacting, right And like, if you're like, if it's 2:00 AM you're gonna be sending a text and you're gonna be pissed off and straight to the point about it, and your client is gonna be turned off. Like, things get misread. Anyways, regardless, make sure your verbiage is customer centric. It is- it is, um, it's more than just a s- like, just like quick to the point.

It's something like, "Totally, Karen, I completely understand where you're coming from. Uh, I- and I'd be happy to help you. Here is the solution and resource where you can go and, um, get that done conveniently, and I'll be here to help you after you go and check those things out," right? Like, things like that instead of saying like, "Um, you can do that here."

Link. Like, just those little things that make people feel like they are actually cared about and that they're not just another number, that is what avoids this one star review. Truly, like genuinely. Like, the professionalism and everybody thinks that they're professional.

I can guarantee you every single person listening to this podcast right now, every stylist that's out there, they think that they are professional, they think that they are responding in professional ways. I will guarantee you that every single one of us can step up our customer service skills and really, really, really... step it up in a way that connects with our clients and protects ourselves at the same time. That is what I teach you how to do in my cour- my courses and my programs because I believe, as service providers, especially with the nature of the type of things that we do, we need to make sure that the people that are in our chair feel cared for and special and that they're not just another number.

But at the same time, we can, like, have beautiful lives and, like, not break our own boundaries at the end of the day. All right, I'll stop, Caitlin. Something to consider too, like, if you are in the position where you are, you've already received a bad review, let's say. I feel like a lot of the time, it is usually people that are pissed off about their hair service that they received.

So being super honest, just having a very genuine conversation with somebody. Like, you typically know, I mean, you typically know if they're gonna be upset about it before they leave. Like, there's usually those cues that we can pick up on. Granted, there are those, like, random unicorns in there that kind of, like, do whatever they wanna do.

But it's, I feel like, a really huge part of it is just really understanding, being honest with your client, having an honest conversation about things. And if you do have a bad review come in, like, really just making them feel like you hear them and, like, accept, like, ac- accept the information, I guess. I feel like I'm rambling, but like, they just wanna feel heard, they wanna be understood, and they want you to see where they're coming from. And how you respond, really, is like, it makes everything.

Yeah, I love that you said accept the information. Like, that's so good. Like, just accept the information. Like, it's okay for you to just accept the information and like I said, look at it from like, oh, that's interesting, right?

Versus like, allowing yourself to react so viscerally and like, just pop off by like, the first thing that comes to your head or feel so defensive or like, feel like it's a personal attack on you. Because again, you're delivering a service, you're delivering a product on somebody's body, and they are going to react to that by themselves, like, with their own way. And it's not necessarily about you. It's about, like, the product that's on their head and their own perceptions of themselves, you know?

So thank you for sharing that. Okay, let's talk about how to respond to a bad review. First and foremost, the entire general theme of this. You're not responding to the bad review to talk to the client on your Google My Business.

You are responding to that bad review to talk to every other person who is reading this shit. So like, I don't give a shit about that person in the moment . I really don't. Like, you can, you can give a shit ab- b- like, give a shit about that person in your one-to-one communication with them.

In this particular public space where other people are reading through all this sh- Like, who the hell cares about this one person? Care about the thousands, literal thousands of people who are going to read the- this bad review and then, then see your response. That is who you're writing your bad, your response to that review for. So think about, what would a new potential client want to see with how a business responds to a bad review?

Like, if you were scrolling through and you saw that you were wanted to do business with a business and they got a bad review and it was like, a tame bad review. Like, it was like, a, okay, like, this makes sense. Like, I'd be upset too. Like, I wouldn't feel good about this either, right?

If you see something like that and then you saw that the business responded, what would you want to see the business say? The majority of the time, the answer is, "Totally understand where you're coming from. I'm so sorry that you felt like you had this bad experience. And we would love to chat about it with you more.

Please reach out to me and we can get something figured out," right? And then I know that this is contingent. I know that s- a response like that is contingent because you may have already, like, had a conversation with this person, you might have fired this person, you might not wanna talk to this person. And honestly, I'm not gonna lie, like, I'm not really mad about you lying in this moment because I really care way more about the thousands of other people who are gonna read this versus that person.

Now, let's say you say that and they reach out to you. I mean, you're just gonna say the same shit that you said before or you're gonna try and take care of them even better, or you're just gonna continuously apologize and you're just gonna do your best. But I really, really want you to take in consideration, like, number one, like I said a million times, think about what other people are gonna re- uh, re- read for this response. The other thing is too, like, I want you to take in consideration, what is this teaching me, right?

So we got a bad review on the podcast for the first time. It's there. You guys can probably go read it on Apple Podcasts. And it said that I had a guest on and I never let her talk .

And it was our first bad review and I think it's the only bad review that we have a- on there, actually, right now. And, um, I was like, "What?" Like, I, I was like, "Damn, okay, maybe I, I," and I started listening to all of my interviews, like all my guest speaker interviews that I had, right? Because I've had a fair bit on here.

And I really, like, yes, I do talk a lot. I probably talk more than, like, I should, even in those. But I was like, I don't feel like I didn't, I don't feel like I steamrolled anybody, you know? And I don't think that they would think that either.

But then I was like, oh my god, it's Caitlin . And let's be super clear, okay? Let's be super clear. I love Caitlin being on here and I really enjoy Caitlin's insight on here.

I freaking love having Caitlin here to spill the tea because I think that she brings a different perspective than I do, and I think that she brings a really smart perspectiveBut Kaitlin's role wh- when we originally, like, created the podcast was that she was gonna be here to keep me on track, hold me accountable to showing up, and, uh, make sure that, uh, the outlines are here and that everything is really nice and organized. And also just keep things interesting for you, my, the friend who's listening to this right now. And so, you know, Kaitlin's role isn't necessarily to be, like, talking this entire time. You know what I mean?

And so what we realized was we didn't do a good enough job of explaining what Kaitlin's role was here, right? And we would not have had that perspective, that knowledge, if we did not get that bad review. And so when we got it, I, like, celebrated it with the team and I was like, "This is so exciting. We got, like, this, this bad review and this insight that we would've never had before."

And I thought it was really actually an important and pivotal moment for us because I was like, "Oh, shit. Like, we actually have to start, like, explaining the situation, like, every now and then, you know? And we really need to make sure that people are clear as to what the role is here." And so I want you...

Kaitlin, do you have anything to share before I, I wrap this up with a, with a bow? Yeah, I just... I'm giggling because we definitely forgot to do that at the top of this episode. I mean, uh, I, I mean, I, I'm doing it now, so I'm, like, not mad about it.

Yeah. For the people that listen to every episode as it comes out per week, I'm sure it starts to sound repetitive, like, "Who, who the hell are you?" Like, "Oh, hey, it's me again." But, like, it does, it does make a difference for the people that are just catching an episode, like, as, like, a one-off kind of situation.

But yeah, it has... It's been really insightful to learn from that experience, and I am grateful for it 'cause, like, it's never really something that I thought that we needed to do at the top of every episode. I figured it was... I mean, you know how we just assume things, like, "Oh, yeah.

No, they'll, they'll understand that there's just, like, another person on the podcast." Yeah, no. And I just think it's just... It just, like, really taught me, um, and further pushed me to take any sort of feedback or criticism as something that's, like, really important for us, you know?

Like, we have to be open to receiving it as a business because if... I mean, it's a gift, like, if somebody, like, decides to speak up and share something with us from their own perspective and their, their perception is reality, right? Like, what people believe and see and, like, what they're experiencing, that is their own reality. And so, you know, no matter if we're like, "Oh, they should've known," or whatever, it...

That's just not the case. And, and what we have to do is take responsibility for how we are, what we are doing to make sure that people are clear and have the right idea about what we have going on. And if people don't speak up, then you're never gonna know. Or if you never solicit that feedback, you're never gonna know.

Going back to how can you avoid this one-star review, you should be asking for feedback all the time. All of my students automatically have a personalized post-visit email that goes out after the appointment and asks for anonymous feedback. And, or even, uh, anonymous or non-anonymous feedback. So instead of going over to the Yelp and giving a one-star review, they can give you the one-star review.

And I know it can be really hard to, you know, open yourself up to that because it can really hurt the ego, but at the end of the day, it's like, would you rather hear it from them there or would you rather hear it on your Google My Business or your Yelp or anything like that, right? That's my tea. I feel like I've spilled all the tea that I can spill today, my friends. So if you enjoyed this episode of The Modern Hairstylist podcast, please go ahead and leave a five-star review wherever you're listening to this.

And I want you to know that we support you and we love you and we see you, and that there's nothing wrong with what you're doing in your business. There's nothing wrong with the way that you're serving people. There's only ways to improve and there's only, uh, growth from here, right? We're not living in the gap, we're living in the gain.

Um, we're, we're always taking everything, even the things that are perceived a- as negative at, at first glance, as opportunities to grow and move forward and learn and strengthen how we do business in our industry. So I encourage you to, um, adopt that mindset and I think it'll be really helpful for you and make the most out of this, uh, shitty situation. So, so much love to you. We'll catch you in the next episode.

Kaitlin, thank you so much for being here. Peace out, girl scout. Bye bye.

End of transcript. © 2022 Hunter Donia LLC.