About Customer Complaints and marketing

by Clay Marafiote

Here is an article about customer complaints and marketing.

Been the victim of a good verbal thrashing lately? You know, a customer complaint delivered in a way that makes you grit your teeth, your temples pulse, and maybe even sweat a little? Relish it!

Why?
Well, there's an old media maxim that goes something like this. The more popular you are, the more people you'll have taking pot shots at you. And this is a good thing because the kicker is, it's common for media polls to show the same TV newscaster or radio DJ ranking as a city's "favorite" AND "most hated" media person.
A great example of this in the Tampa Bay market is 93.3 FM's morning show host, "MJ". Geeez...you either love this guy or you hate him! Locals are constantly complaining about his on-air antics and inflamatory comments (perfectly staged to get people riled up). But regardless of what any ONE person thinks, MJ has the #1 ranked morning radio show which means he has a lot of listeners and his company has lots of customers.
The person or organization that doesn't get any complaints probably isn't getting noticed. But as soon as their name starts getting known in a city or industry, somebody will start to complain.
Here's what you need to know: people don't complain unless they are mentally involved. They don't gripe unless they care. And so many times it's only a short jump from complaining to satisfaction (sort of like "there's a fine line between love and hate"). And if this is happening to you, like I said, "Relish it"! Because complainers can be an excellent source of NEW customers and supporters. "Huh?" you say. Yep! Here's how all of this ties together.

Marketing Tip

All you have to do is show them that you're willing to see things from the their point of view. Do this, and you're half way to winning a customer for life.

Yeah, I know...you might not be in the mood to apologize, offer a refund, or add an extra bonus to the deal. That's fine. But remember, it's exactly this display of "good faith" that starts favorable word-of-mouth...and as you know, word-of-mouth is the best form of marketing you can ever hope for.
So pay attention to complainers. If you have them, you're probably doing something right! Just take it a step further, realizing they've opened the door for you to something even better.

Surveying and Research and Marketing Resources:

- Customer complaints internationally - Marketing Canapes