Not being able to handle criticism graciously IS the problem with our industry today.

[The Chairman]

Recently a member of the BODI group on Linkedin.com asked us to give him input about his new web offering. A number of us gladly gave him what we thought would be useful insight. Rather than thank us, he actually lashed out at us citing that we were “what’s wrong with the industry today”.

Wow!

To say that I was surprised by the hostility would be an understatement, but it actually exposes what is really wrong with our industry: Many are unwilling or unable to accept constructive criticism. Hey, I get that when you trot out a shiny new toy that you have spent time and money on, you are hoping that everyone will see it the way you do. The harsh reality is that you are probably blinded by optimism and enthusiasm and you need some unbiased albeit critical perspective. That’s what these types of groups are designed to give you: Perspective! We all need it and can improve our offerings by getting it.

Unfortunately, lashing out at your critics sends everyone the wrong message. There is no quicker way to turn an innocent appraisal into an online catastrophe. Everyone knows that gear will fail and that that experiences are often marred by various issues. What we don’t know, is how the problems that come up are going to be handled. I see this happen on ScubaBoard and other social media all the time. Rather than humbly accept an uncomplimentary comment the recipient lashes out at them instead. A better way would be to thank them for the insight, no matter how distressing this might be, and then examine their comment for relevance. If it causes a change, be sure to point that out. People like it when they have an impact on a product or service. It builds loyalty.

This graciousness is even more important if you ask for input. Most of us are busy as are all successful people. That we spend any time at all to examine something and then give you our insight indicates that we are trying to help. Get your emotions out of the game. This isn’t personal: its business. You’re getting free feedback that many people are willing to pay for. Why? Because we want you to succeed and we don’t mind pointing out the obvious. It’s OK if you don’t like me or think I’m arrogant. As the most successful internet entrepreneur in the Scuba industry, I might actually know what I am talking about. There’s a lot of collective experience and wisdom in BODI. You ignore it at your peril.

There is an old business caveat that states: “Listen to your customers”. What was incredibly hard for businesses to do twenty years ago is fairly easy today with Social Media. Whether you like it or not, your customers are talking about you online. They’re on Facebook. They’re on ScubaBoard. They’re even on blogs! What are you doing to capitalize on this social phenomenon? What are you doing with the myriad of criticisms and suggestions that are being posted each and every day? How are you handling the interaction? Have you given up, saying it’s way too hard and you’re just too busy? If the answer to this last question is “yes”, then Shenanigans! If you don’t have time to listen to your clientele, then your clientele will find someone who has that time.

At this point, I would suggest that if you are not listening to your customers, then you are what’s wrong with the industry today. This is also true if you are unable or unwilling to listen to them. Yeah, that’s harsh but so is today’s business environment. People who say good things about you need to be thanked. People who say horrible things about you also need to be thanked. People who give you insight into your business need to be thanked. Be careful what you ask for as you actually might get it.

I first started this as a discussion on Linkedin in the BODI group. You can follow it there as well: Not being able to handle criticism graciously IS the problem with our industry today. | LinkedIn FWIW, the thread that prompted this discussion was deleted from that group.

 

[Wookie]

I find Linkedin very difficult to use. Not user friendly at all.

 

[The Chairman]

Linkedin has it benefits and limitations to be sure. I'm hoping this discussion focuses on the needs and the techniques for accepting constructive criticism online.

 

[Wookie]

Sorry, thought you were driving us to the Linkedin discussion.

You know that I am a fan of social networking, but this is the Scuba industry., Most of us don't do this as a job or a living, we think we are called to it by our particular higher power. Therefore, our businesses are our babies, and like a mother bear, we want to protect our cubs. I have had to learn to not respond to criticism, as your fans will defend you with far more enthusiasm than you can do yourself. Somewhere, though, the criticized party must step in. Witness the concerted effort by some members on SB to thrash a well known and very successful liveaboard dive fleet. Could the operators learn something? Of course, and actually that seems to be the biggest bone of contention with the SB users that the operator is so unwilling to learn from their customer. I'm sure that a heartfelt mea culpa would go a long way to getting these types of posts to stop, but maybe it doesn't matter. I've often said that bad publicity is almost as good as good publicity, but I don't see that particular situation ending well.

 

[The Chairman]

Sorry, thought you were driving us to the Linkedin discussion.

Ah. I fully expect there to be two different discussions and am looking forward to seeing the difference. Some people who don't like ScubaBoard love Linkedin and the converse is also true.

You know that I am a fan of social networking, but this is the Scuba industry.,

You, my friend are a rock star in social media. I often point you out as the poster child for how a business should handle Social Media when I teach classes.

Most of us don't do this as a job or a living, we think we are called to it by our particular higher power. Therefore, our businesses are our babies, and like a mother bear, we want to protect our cubs. I have had to learn to not respond to criticism, as your fans will defend you with far more enthusiasm than you can do yourself. Somewhere, though, the criticized party must step in. Witness the concerted effort by some members on SB to thrash a well known and very successful liveaboard dive fleet. Could the operators learn something? Of course, and actually that seems to be the biggest bone of contention with the SB users that the operator is so unwilling to learn from their customer. I'm sure that a heartfelt mea culpa would go a long way to getting these types of posts to stop, but maybe it doesn't matter. I've often said that bad publicity is almost as good as good publicity, but I don't see that particular situation ending well.

I am not familiar with this discussion but it's important for a dive business to at least acknowledge if not actually own up to any online criticism. When I worked for Goodyear, we often had customers come in with a part of a tire. They were already convinced that the tire was faulty. Before I even looked at the tire, I could see that they had run the tire without enough air. IOW, they had caused the problem by their inattention to tire pressure. Their expensive tire self destructed because they had a slow leak that they failed to identify.

Unfortunately, they have now been inconvenienced and like most people: they don't want to accept responsibility. How did I deal with them? I used SPAR to help diffuse the situation and help them learn how to avoid this in the future. I think it's useful online as well, so I'll share it with you.

Stop! Do not interrupt the customer as they tell their tale of woe.
Pause! Listen to what they are saying and choose your words carefully.
Assure! Let your customer know that you would probably feel the same way (empathize) if you were in their situation and that you are committed to doing what's right.
Reassure! Take another opportunity to let them know that you are committed to do what's fair and right.

After you have done this, you can attempt to resolve any problems. However, you might find yourself having to return to SPAR mode if negotiations start to break down. It's important to note here that at no point should you ever attempt to deny that a problem has happened or to accuse them of ulterior motives. No, you don't have to do the negotiations on line either. A simple "PM sent" or giving them a phone number to call you is sufficient for most people on the forum to see that you want to be fair and work things out. The big thing is that people want to know that you actually care about them and their problems.

 

[The Chairman]

I have thought about this topic some more. I posted this on facebook today.

Our collective inability to accept criticism is really what's wrong with today's dive industry. Criticism is nothing more than feedback about how we handle our business. Most of it is made by people who would like us to do better at what we do. Unfortunately, rather than treat it like the gold that it is, we routinely brush off any such criticism as being negative. It will take a decision and a commitment to excellence to change this. Here's how I do it:

1) Listen to all criticisms without immediately rejecting them. Make sure your critic knows that you're actually listening to them by asking questions.

2) Never react to a criticism with another criticism. It's easy to do and you'll never learn a thing if you do.

3) Contemplate any criticisms away from the critic and be sure to communicate this to your critic. They may or may not be justified, but you can rarely determine that in the heat of the battle. If there is any merit to a criticism, then the next step is to decide how to address it or even if you can.

4) Embrace evolution! You can change despite what you may think. You can always evolve yourself or your product to be better and you'll gain a lot of fans in the process. Quite often your critic will give you specific ways to modify your product, making it better. How cool is that?

5) Be sure to thank your critics! They've just spent time telling you how they feel and that's valuable information. Most people who don't like you will just avoid you and your product. Those who take the time to bitch about things are your best friends. They're not afraid to hurt your feelings and tell you some tough truths. Work through the pain and hurt feelings and thank them sincerely and from your heart.