Negative Feelings Can Hurt Your Business

Dr. Linda Hancock

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Hancock has written a regular weekly column entitled “All Psyched Up” for newspapers in two Canadian provinces for more than a dozen years. Over the years, her readers and clients have said that they have benefited from her common-sense solutions, wisdom, and sense of humour. Dr. Linda Hancock, the author of “Life is An Adventure…every step of the way” and “Open for Business Success” is a Registered Psychologist who has a private practice in Medicine Hat. She can be reached at 403-529-6877 or through email office@drlindahancock.com

Published

April 16 2011

All Psyched Up. | | Negative Feelings Can Hurt Your Business | by Dr. Linda Hancock | Published April 16 2011 | Revised June 26 2022

© 2022, Dr. Linda Hancock INC.

It is very important that your clients have positive feelings when they hear your name or when other people ask them for an opinion about your business. You see word of mouth is one of your best marketing tools.

Sometimes people have negative feelings that can result from a number of situations where they believe that you or your staff:

1. Weren't competent - Professionalism is so important and if the client doesn't think that you have the expertise, skills and abilities, they will not have respect for you. Make sure that you always do, say and think in a manner that conveys the fact that you are an expert who can help them. It is confidence - not arrogance - that will help them to trust you.

2. Didn't meet their needs - Each client comes to you with an issue or problem that they would like you to help them with. You can offer excellent services but if the client doesn't feel that the need s/he has presented with is resolved, they will likely not feel satisfied. You therefore need to understand exactly what their problem is and their expected outcome goals.

3. Charged too much - Each person has an idea of what they are willing to pay for specific things but their ideas might not line up with yours. You therefore need to make sure that you clearly outline all the fees before you begin to offer the services or products.

4. Didn't resolve an issue - When a client is upset about something that they feel you should take responsibility for, it is important to try to resolve this for them. Ignoring the issue will likely allow it to escalate into an even bigger problem. Meet with the client. Listen to the concerns. Ask what they would like you to do in order to resolve the issues. Tell them what you will and won't do and then follow through quickly.

5. Failed at communicating - When you do not connect with the client, s/he will probably become very frustrated. Return their messages quickly and make sure that you are doing both listening as well as the problem-solving with them.

When your client has a negative feeling about you and your business, you are at risk of losing revenue and your reputation. It is therefore very important that you are able to provide competent services that meet the needs of the clients for a fair fee. All through the process you also need to be able to communicate well and resolve any issues that arise.

All Psyched Up. | | Negative Feelings Can Hurt Your Business | by Dr. Linda Hancock | Published April 16 2011 | Revised June 26 2022

© 2022, Dr. Linda Hancock INC.