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A Complaint? It's a Compliment! - 7 Tips for Dealing with Complaints at Trade Shows
A Complaint? It's a Compliment! What made you mad last week? In the past week, how many times were you upset by something? What action did you take? Complain to the neighbors, make a snide remark to a co-worker, post it on a list or email a group? Did you just gossip or did you try to make it into a positive experience? They say we complain to ten people for every one compliment about a product or service. Did you call the manager of the company, write the company president, email a suggestion for improvement? Probably not. You were upset but not enough to take action. Or you thought you'd be perceived as a whiner. Or that nobody would do anything because you're nobody special. Complaints are Compliments People don't complain because they don't like you. They point out faults and know you can do better. They have expectations of your product, your service, your reputation and you've let them down. They complain because they're disappointed - they like you and want you to succeed. Look back on your history of lost clients. Was it because they complained or did they just slip quietly away. It was the final straw - once too often that the invoice was wrong, the shipment was late, the product was incomplete, the salesman couldn't solve a problem, the repair person never showed. Etc. It's one thing to have complaints come into your office and have them solved. It's quite anther when the complainant shows up at your exhibit. So, when you're on the trade show floor, and folks show up with complaints, welcome them. This is an opportunity to gather market intelligence, find out what's really happening with your product and service and keep a client. Here are 7 Tips to turn complaints into positive action. 1. Be Prepared 2. Make Sure Everyone Knows 3. Control the Conversation 4. Listen Carefully 5. Write It Down 6. Appoint an Arbitrator. 7. Out of the Blue. Remember, a complaint really is a compliment. Enjoy your next show! Julia O'Connor - Speaker, Author, Consultant - is an expert in the psychology of the trade show environment. She understands that one bad experience by a client can explode into a confrontation on the show floor. Helping her clients in knowing traps on the show floor. http://www.TradeShowTraining.com -- 800-355-3910
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