Here’s a tip based on an experience I had last week. In the middle of a visit with my family from out of town, a woman calls up to ask me about web design. Right away, I’m not sure she is very serious because she is calling for her mother, who is the one who needs the website. In the background is a screaming infant that makes it difficult to hear. Rather than ask her to call back (my mistake), I try to understand what it is she is saying. She needs a quote for a e-commerce website with around five pages. I then give her a fair quote.
She wants to know if I can lower the price, and so I ask her what her budget is. I explain to her that a website takes twenty or more hours to complete and $500 is not going to cover my time. But, perhaps, she would want to start out with an easy site by using a different software program, such as SquareSpace. That is a good way to test the waters for a new business. That was the end of it. Or so I thought.
Next thing I know, I get a one star review from her on Google. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to erase unfair reviews on Google, but you can respond, which I did. I apologized if she thought I was rude, but the fact is, she was unwilling to accept my quote and I was trying to help her out with a good suggestion.
So, if this happens to you, here is what you do next. Email your favorite clients and ask them to review you on Google. You will be surprised at how supportive they are and how that one low mark can be outweighed by five star reports.