Did you hear about the business that's suing a woman for over $750,000, all because she left them a lousy review on Yelp.com?
Believe it! It turns out, a Virginia contractor, Christopher Dietz, has raised a $750,000 lawsuit, charging that Fairfax resident Jane Perez’s scathing online review cost him customers, harmed his reputation and resulted in mental suffering.
I want to make two quick points about this.
First off, reputation DOES matter.
Statistically about 80-90% of people searching on-line don't get past Google page 1.
And if you've made it to Google page 1, you've won the lion-share of the battle...
Unless you have terrible reviews. Seriously, go search for a plumber or an auto dealer in your local area. Many won't have a ranking. But some will have a ranking of points based out of 30 (a hold-over from Zagat).
If you see someone with a 1/30 or even a 15/30 (that's 50%, and failing by most accounts), would you really feel confident doing business with them?
No, of course not!
And this will be what kills so many businesses in the next 5 to 10 years.
The other take-away, however, is that this is not how you handle a bad review! At this point, I doubt ANYONE would ever consider using this contractor again, when there exists now the real possibility that he might sue you! (I hope you're covered, if they do). In other words, she damaged his reputation, but he put the bullet in it himself.
Certainly, you want positive reviews, but the first thing you must realize is that a bad review can be a good thing! Bad reviews let you know of a problem in your business, and they let you have a chance to fix the problem and potentially win back that customer!
To do that, though, you need to know when you get bad reviews, as soon as possible. You need to set up an Online Reputation Monitoring System, and then address any bad reviews ASAP!
Beyond all this, you should consider working with a certified reputation marketer. At HundredsOfCustomers.com, we're dedicated to helping you become the dominant business in your local marketplace.
