Social media is on the rise and expanding rapidly on a daily basis. It’s inevitable that people will use the internet to study you and your business because of how quickly and easily accurate, influential information can be transferred. The days of a business being able to fool a prospective consumer are long gone. The internet has leveled the playing field for businesses of all sizes. With the click of a mouse, your customers have the option to express their opinions about your business online.

I was recently discussing an issue relating to what I just mentioned with a team member of mine at M & E Painting. It was a Monday morning and it seemed like the issues kept coming from the left, right, and every other way they could. We found ourselves so tied up and immersed in these issues that for a minute we forgot the big picture.

As we were both talking, we decided to take a minute and step back to see the big picture of what we had accomplished so far in the year. Our industry is having new and frustrating issues arise that in 15 years of being the in business, I have never seen or dealt with before. This year has thrown us a curve ball we are still figuring out how to hit. As we stepped back and reviewed, we realized that even with the frustrations we were right on track with our goals and projections for the year.

The reviews demonstrate your imperfections and the possibility of mistakes. They demonstrate how your clients respond in instances like these. The largest chance for your business to stand out is to demonstrate to the online community how you respond to the review. The wisest course of action is to accept responsibility and never place blame on another person or thing. Own the situation, and then let them know what you can do or have already done to fix it. This online setting starts a dialogue that is visible to and read by everyone. People are more likely to work with you when you admit your faults and make them right than if they only saw a 5-star review.

This perspective can be refreshing, and get you re-centered and grounded back into your business.