Is the feedback you give saying as many good
things about you, as it is about the subject of your review?
We’re all accustomed to dishing out feedback,
whether we’re reviewing a fabulous or disastrous holiday venue, providing a
glowing testimonial for a colleague/mate/ex-boss/would-be-client on LinkedIn,
or explaining to an unsuccessful candidate why they didn’t make the cut.
Particularly in situations where feedback is
published for the world to see, it’s very clear that our expressed view is
going to influence the reputation of the person or organisation we’re rating.
This is powerful, and brands must have the courage of their conviction to ask
questions of their publics, listen and act where necessary on the feedback they
get.
Wise businesses understand the value of
asking their customers what matters to them; who wouldn’t want to know the
‘secrets’ of winning our customers’ favour? It’s so easy for us to make
assumptions on the reasons customers buy from us, but when was the last time
you took the time to ask? That’s as true for us as PR consultants as it is for
the clients we advise.
Reflected influence
There’s a balance of power when it comes to
who gains from the feedback process, in which we tend to attribute all the
‘influence’ (power) to the person or organisation that’s giving the feedback.
Common sense, surely, that when we submit
ourselves to the whim of our reviewers – will they love us or tell the world
that we’ve failed utterly to meet their expectations – the reviewer has the
power to make or break our reputation.
It struck me this week, however, that in a
business-to-business scenario at least, the feedback process reflects on the
reviewer too.
Here’s an example that will be familiar to
many PR agencies, and probably to other sectors besides. We’re invited to
submit credentials at the start of a tender review process. They outline a
process that leaves some room for interpretation (I’m being nice, it was
unclear). We ask for clarification, they reply but don’t answer the question.
We submit credentials. They tell us, in a very polite email, that we’re not
shortlisted. We ask for feedback. Radio silence.
This prospective client had the chance to
impress the pants off us even if we
were not destined to work together. We could have fallen a bit in love with
them, become regular customers, told our friends and family how this was the one that
got away which we’ll always regret…
Instead I find myself thinking they’re a bit
amateur, a bit second division, probably would have been a hellish client.
That’s the thing about reputation and
influence; it’s not all contained within a PR plan, it’s embedded in the way we
conduct ourselves ‘on and off camera’.
So, my parting thought. Next time you’re asked
for feedback, pause a moment and just consider ‘the feedback loop’: every
action (or inaction) has a not-necessarily-equal-or-accurate reaction.
Sarah Bryars
Chief Executive
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at www.freedigitalphotos.net
