Looking for Compliments

Looking for compliments does not come naturally to many of us – but it is important to do it as a business.

On a personal level, compliments make us feel better about ourselves, proud of something we have achieved. It is the same for a business, but there is one extra, important, element – they bring you more customers. They provide the social proof that many of your potential customers are looking for to a) help them notice you and b) decide to buy from you.

Buying is an emotional decision in many instances, and seeing a compliment from one of your customers, especially one that they can relate to, is often the final piece of the jigsaw that prospective customers need.

So, you need to:

1. Ask for compliments. They can be a simple email thanking you, or a testimonial, or a case study. When asking for them, explain to your customer that you want to grow your business by serving more customers like them, and ask “what did we do well?” or “How do you feel about doing business with us?”. When you get a compliment, ask if they would be happy to post it on social media and if they would mind if you used it when marketing your business. You can also use services such as TrustPilot or Feefo to ask customers for compliments and star ratings.
2. Use the compliments you receive. Reply to any compliments you receive on social media and share them, making sure you thank the person who paid you the compliment. You can also, if you have permission, use them in other social media channels and marketing material.

This helps to promote your business and engage your customers. There is a potential downside though – by doing this you may also attract complaints. If you do, make sure you respond to these as well, using empathy (say you are sorry that they are not happy with your product or service). Do what it takes to put the situation right and make sure you include this in your response. Often this will turn a complaint into a compliment.

People understand that everyone makes mistakes – the important thing is to acknowledge them and learn from them. If people see that you are open and honest and work hard to correct errors, they often are attracted to your business and will post on social media about what a great job you did to sort the situation out.

For more advice, contact your accountant or the organisation that gave you access to BuBul. They may offer help or refer you to someone they trust. If not, email hello@bubulexpert.com telling us what you need advice on, and we’ll connect you with one of our trusted experts*.

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