“Painful” was all he wrote on the 2-star Google review of my salon.
As an owner, I take bad reviews really seriously. But nothing in this guy’s review could actually be addressed. What was “painful” about his experience? I can assure you that I didn’t know.
By now we all know where to look for online reviews — on Yelp, Google, or Facebook. But do we know how to write them, and do we understand how they can impact a small business?
Too many people don’t understand these questions. Reviews are important and can be great, but they can also be detrimental to small businesses. Think about this — Starbucks might mess up your coffee order regularly, but your bad review won’t hurt their bottom line. Small business owners are open to — and we want! — constructive feedback. But our livelihood is on the line, and there’s a difference between a helpful critical review and a casual condemnation of a small business.
What Is a “Good Bad Review?”
A new bagel shop in my town had a soft opening a week before they officially opened. Online, some dude went out of his way to say how horrible it was. Isn’t the whole point of a soft opening for a business to work out their kinks? This guy stated that he was cut off in line and wanted the cashier to tell the customers he was in fact the next person. When the employee (a very young person likely at their first job) didn’t get involved in the line situation, he declared he was taking his business back to a national chain instead of this new local business.
Well, he caught me on a day where I had to call him on his rubbish review. I logged on and then laid into him, pointing out how he was trying to make sure potential customers wouldn’t go there before their doors were officially opened. I suggested he call the management to let them know what happened so they could address the issue. He is a grown man, he should have told the customers he was next in line.
He replied to my comment with “don’t I have the right to give a negative review?” Yeah, he does. That’s where the skill of writing a “good bad review” is so important. Don’t wield a sword of destructive words. Elevate your review game.
Don’t Review When Angry
Before you write your next review, imagine yourself reading a review about you. When it has an attacking tone, it can be very hard to learn from it. You’re in pain from the attack, instead of pulling the information that does have merit.
I can tell you that bad reviews have an outsized impact on stylists. Usually, it will ruin their day if not week, month, or even year. It often makes them question if they should even be doing hair anymore. It ain’t a picnic, I can tell you that.
This is why no one should write a review when they’re angry — even if their frustration is completely justified. No one is articulate and constructive when they’re in their feelings. You could end up ruining someone’s day — or business — because your emotions are affecting your tone.
Get to the Point
Check out this actual bad review from a hair salon and see if you can spot the reviewer’s number one mistake (names are changed to protect the small business owners):
“Decided to purchase a Groupon to get my haircut/styled with Santa Claus…big mistake!!!
The haircut is probably the worst cut I’ve gotten in the last five years…clearly Santa Claus doesn’t have a good technique and really went overboard when I asked her to give me a few layers. Then she blow dried my hair without a nozzle! Which is the one of the first rules when giving someone a blow out. Instead of having nice long silky hair…I left the salon with a frizz ball that looked awful. I ended up going home and blow drying it myself! I will never be going back to this salon ever again.
DO NOT GET YOUR HAIRCUT WITH SANTA CLAUS.”
This review is not only mean, it’s just plain too long. I understand this customer is unhappy, but this is destructive to the stylist’s confidence. A “good bad review” edit would give you this: “I had my hair cut by Santa Claus. I was very unhappy with my layers, and wished my blowdry wasn’t so frizzy when I left my appointment.”
Sometimes in reviews, less really is more. If you can’t say it in a sentence or two, think about whether you actually have a point you’re trying to make.
Only Write About Services You Were Provided
It’s important that review readers know what you recently experienced at a business, not what you think about every aspect of what you have ever noticed about the place. If you didn’t order the cheeseburger, don’t complain about how it looked at the next table over from you. If you didn’t have your hair colored, don’t speculate about how long you worry it might have taken. Only talk about services you were provided, because that’s the only type of experience you are expert in.
Reach Out To Management
If you are really unsatisfied, reach out to management before you go online to give a bad review. If we don’t know something is wrong, we can’t fix it. You can simply send a small business an email with your concerns or experience. I promise you we want to know something is wrong, and it is very appreciated when we have a chance to address the problem with the client. Sometimes the best way to give a “good bad review” is to skip the review altogether and speak directly to the person who can resolve your issue.
Find Something Good to Say
What I truly cannot stand is that most of the time people will go out of their way to write a negative review over a good one. I personally try to only write good reviews. Big chains don’t get affected by reviews the way small businesses do. It can be stressful to get a bad review, and even more stressful when you feel like you can’t do anything about it. If you don’t like your haircut, just say “I went here, asked for this but got that, and I’m not happy with my haircut.” Going into some big song and dance about X, Y, and Z and it ruined my birthday doesn’t do good for anyone. I can promise you this! We are all people and hopefully adults. Express your disappointment in your service in a humane way. I would like for myself or my stylists to learn from it so we can do better, and be better for the future. Toxic reviews do not accomplish this, it really can do more harm than good.
Here’s an example of a simple positive review — it’s specific, it’s short, and it speaks to the strengths of the salon as well as the individual reviewer.
“I had a Deva cut by Santa Claus. My hair hasn’t looked this great in a long time. She understood what I wanted. Love this salon.”
As a side note, this review is about the same stylist who got the long-winded review above. As customers, be sure to read all the reviews to get the big picture of what to expect from small businesses!
For My Fellow Small Business Owners: How to Handle the Dreaded Bad Review
When my partner and I first opened our salon, I lived in fear of getting a dreaded bad review. Slowly through the years I’ve learned to handle them better emotionally, knowing that if we can rectify the situation, we always will. We respond to the client, offer a solution, and hopefully something positive can come out of it. It is always a learning opportunity, and a way to fine tune things at the salon for our clients.
So how can you handle a bad review? First, find the lesson in each experience. I always like to learn something from when something unexpected happens at work. I need to know that I am always bettering myself so I can try to avoid it happening again. It is also OK to not try and keep every single client that comes through the doors. I know I can’t make every single client happy, that is a fact.
Also, please keep your head up and believe in yourself. As a stylist behind the chair and a salon owner I have endured many reviews. The ups and downs that were either about me or my staff, and the tough ones are really tough. I’ve just learned to keep my head up, and march forward. What you may not know about us hairstylists — and, I’d bet, most small business owners — is we have very thick skin, we have to to survive in this industry. That thick skin is a strength, and it helps us navigate this industry with grace.
A Challenge!
Understanding the power of online reviews, and the ingredients that make a “good bad review,” I ask you to write one positive — or at least constructive — review for your favorite local business (may I humbly suggest your favorite hair stylist?). Remember to keep it short, sweet, to the point about a service that was provided. I’ll be reviewing right along with you. The businesses need your help and will thank you for it!
