I saw a couple of folks talking about me on Twitter. It was a little negative.
How should you respond to negative word of mouth?
Here’s what I did:
- Joined the discussion. It’s always better when critics are talking WITH you instead of ABOUT you.
- Shared my side of the story. Didn’t get into an argument, just added my perspective and let it speak for itself.
- Did something extra. It’s not about the debate, it’s about building a new, positive relationship. I sent my book to everyone involved.
The result: A wonderful, positive blog post from Christopher Stevenson, who tells it much better than me. Read it here.
Thanks, Christopher
Andy, thanks for the great example. This is why people like me read and follow you. The simple reminder to do the right thing reinforces the messages in your book.
As a huge fan of your book and a giant proponent of word of mouth marketing, I have already shared your post with my friends and colleagues. See, you got me talking about you — again. Thanks!
Andy – Great story. Something a mentor told me a long time go “The gap between reaction and response is called judgment”. You are a good man; as is Christopher for his humble response.
Andy, what you did was perfect. Social networks and this brave new world that is Web 2.0 have definitely changed a lot. I am the Community Manager at the Gift and Home Channel (www.giftandhomechannel.com) and therefore deal with users opinions all of the time. Yes, us folks in the social network business run the risk of bad word of mouth, but its like they say all press is good press right? And combating the negative comments in the way you did are exactly how today’s marketers can fight the good fight and there are always the Christopher Stevenson’s in the world who will come alongside and fight with us.