I had a client who was deathly afraid of feedback. Every time we talked about getting feedback from her customers she changed the subject.
Before I go any farther…
Being open to feedback always is black and white. It’s not you did a bad job here and you need to fix it.
Feedback from someone else comes with emotion. It’s this emotion that clams us up or stokes our ego.
My client owned her own dance studio and has helped children foster and grow their dancing for over 40 years. Of course it’s not easy to hear that someone is having an unpleasant experience.
The thing is…
What is the alternative?
Not hearing the feedback at all and going about your day.
Which would you prefer?
Why We Should Embrace Feedback
Feedback is meant to help us grow. It’s our ego and emotions that get in the way of using it well.
The most important part of feedback is how we receive it.
It’s just as important as taking action on the feedback.
If you receive negative feedback and you go on the defensive you won’t take any action.
Now if you receive negative feedback and you are able to keep your ego out of it then this feedback can be used in a positive way.
Of course not all feedback is equal.
If all my client received as feedback was…
“You suck and I hate your school.”
That doesn’t help very much.
But if she received. “You suck and I hate your school because my child cried to me after we got home and said she never wanted to return.”
Now you can reach out to her and find out why. It might have been a miss understanding or another student that caused her child’s anguish.
This is a fixable problem with a little digging could turn into an opportunity to create a better experience for her and her child.
Regular Feedback
As I talked with her about getting regular feedback I could see her warming to the idea. Not by very much, but it was a ember that hopefully would one day turn into a fire.
It’s this ongoing feedback that will help you track trends in your business that you can only do when you engage with your customers.
Are you getting quality feedback from your customers that actually helps you grow your business?