“No, Not the Feedback!”

These were the exact words from a new business owner as a customer walked in the door looking straight into his eyes.

The suggestion was to move some boxes for everyone’s safety.

The word feedback may be a threatening word for some business owners, but it doesn’t have to be, especially if you keep an open mind and couple that with a bit of business savvy.

If you’re a business owner that struggles with accepting feedback, the following suggestion may help.

Dealing with Comments:

• Comments are just that, Comments. As a business owner it’s important to understand that comments can be used to benefit your business. They can help you see another person’s perspective. For example, you may not have noticed the boxes blocking the aisle as you just went around them while responding to a text message on the way in to check on your store. But you’d surely notice if a customer tripped over the boxes and yelled at you or your representatives. Why wait for such an event to unfold?

Dealing with Opinions:

• Opinions are other people’s ideas or views about an issue based on that individual’s personal judgment. Someone may come to you with their personal opinion about your business, yes it happens. As business owners we prefer to be told how well our business is doing, but every now and then someone comes up with, “What were you thinking?” That’s an opinion, don’t just let it sit at that, ask for clarification so you may resolve what the issue really is. Here’s where having an open mind will benefit you. Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and understand their issue.

As a savvy business owner, try to remember that ‘feedback’ is simply another’s person’s view; it’s neither right nor wrong. It’s merely their view and you’d be wise to consider their words. You never know, you just may be inspired to make a few changes to grow your business.

In summary, as business owners, we are not exempt from ‘feedback’ and on the bright side, it’s good for us. It keeps us on our toes so our business doesn’t stagnate. So keep your business running smoothly, take that feedback and see how you can use it to strengthen your business.