Internet and Network Marketing: The Virtue of the Angry Customer

First of all, I want to make sure you understand that I don't advocate making a customer mad just so you can get some good out of it, or practice what I am going to talk about. In fact, if you have kept all your customers happy, you don't need to worry about it. Just move on to something else. But before you go, let me ask you if you think your customers and potential customers are not angry? Better yet, do you know for sure? One thing is for certain. When we create an angry customer, we don't want to have to assume that customer is lost to us forever.

Second, I have written this article using the term "network marketing". In today's web based world, most internet businesses are essentially high-speed, international and can easily use most network marketing models. Hence, most of the guidance in this article will apply to both areas. Even more, most information in this article could apply to almost any business, even the brick-and-mortar sort.

Sometimes, we all screw up and wind up with an angry customer. We are going to talk about the results of this and some ways you can turn this into a positive situation, or at least get something positive out of this negative situation.

The obvious goal of network marketing is to have happy, satisfied customers because these are the people we rely on to help build our business. In addition to being repeat customers, which means more income for us, satisfied customers are the best advertising tool those of us in network marketing or internet marketing or any other marketing can hope for!

If, however, we create an angry customer, not only have we lost this sale and future sales from this one customer, but we may now possibly have a very motivated negative networker marketing against us. Truly, if the heart of network marketing success rests on the passionate word-of-mouth advertising activities of our satisfied customers, just imagine the impact of even a small group of unsatisfied customers as they passionately spread their negative message about your business in particular and network marketing in general.

Things happen, and sometimes they are not positive. Many of these events are simply beyond your control, but the customer will not see it that way. All the customer knows and feels is that you, your business, product, service, or opportunity has failed him or her. You can bet most of them will NOT see this as an accident.

Without a doubt, the best first step you can take at this time is to immediately contact the customer, find out what the problem is, or is perceived to be, and assure them that you will make the situation good. There is a small problem here. We don't always know who these people are.

A study by the Strategic Planning Institute of Cambridge, Pennsylvania, found that the average business NEVER HEARS FROM 96% OF ITS UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS. If something is driving customers away from your network or internet business, you need to know about it! Since dissatisfied customers leave no trace, you must actively strive to create that trace so that you can take steps to change the situation which caused the problem. This will allow you to make more satisfied customers than you would have and will help you prevent negative marketing which may be targeted at your business.

You must actively encourage your customers, website visitors, and/or prospects to complain, and you need to provide a means for them to do this.

You might provide email links, or response cards for these complaints. You can follow up with ALL customers by email, letter, and phone call or in person to find out what their experiences were. If the were dissatisfied, this last purchase might really be their LAST! Find out if they were satisfied with the services, procedures, personnel, information, or any other aspect of the experience.

If they had a problem, the first thing you do is say, "I'm sorry!" and mean it. Do not argue, but do show your willingness to find a solution. Get the facts and resolve the issue as rapidly as possible. Assure the customer that you are grateful for their information, and as soon as the problem is resolved, let the customer know. Be honest and straightforward, and do not sugar coat the truth.

Studies have shown the speed with which the customer is contacted and the speed with which the issue is resolved has a direct bearing on the chances of retaining the customer and stopping negative repercussions.

The study mentioned earlier which was conducted by the Strategic Planning Institute of Cambridge found two critically important pieces of information:

Try to find the customers and even potential customers, ask for their negative comments and complaints, and immediately take action to resolve their issues. You may just add a new dimension of growth to your network business or internet business for a relatively small additional cost!

You have expended vast amounts of time, effort and money to invite a customer to your store, website, or presentation. That is the hardest and most expensive part of the marketing process for any business. Relatively speaking, turning a dissatisfied customer into a satisfied one is almost without any real additional cost. This one simple strategy, however can increase immediate and future sales and produce some of the most effective word-of-mouth advertising you can have. Quite often the customer who feels that they have been treated well and fairly in a difficult situation will be more likely to sing your praises than the one who had a totally uneventful experience.

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer. A graduate of the University Of West Florida (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. A collection of his articles may be found at http://www.donovanbaldwin.com/freearticles.

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