Oof, negative feedback is hard to hear. We’re copywriters, and much of what we create is subjective, so take it from us when we say it does not get easier to hear a client complaint.
As hard as it is to respond to client complaints, negative feedback can be useful. It allows you to spot areas where you can improve your coaching and even your marketing. You can even use it to refine your target client profile, so you attract clients you want to work with.
When Is Negative Feedback Helpful and When Is It Unhelpful?
Look, you’re not going to please everyone. Some people just want to complain for the sake of complaining. They’re usually easy to spot because their complaints will be unnecessarily venomous and lack an actual problem at the heart of the complaint. These messages are usually just abusive in nature or will pick on something utterly ridiculous. It is best to just ignore these if the feedback was given through your feedback form. If the feedback was given publicly, feel free to politely inform the coaching client that you do not tolerate abuse and they are not welcome back.
Helpful negative feedback is a complaint that you can learn from. They show you where your coaching client’s experience was lacking so you can improve it for future clients. These could be really small and seem a bit nit-picky, but they are worth looking into because small things do matter. Thank these clients for their feedback and tell them you will use it to improve your offerings.
Another thing to consider is whether the client complaining is one of your target clients. Feedback from your target clients should be weighted more than feedback from clients who aren’t your target client. You want to meet the needs of the people who you actively want to work with. That doesn’t mean you should write off feedback from people who aren’t a target client; they may have useful information about how to refine your processes. Just take feedback from your target coaching client more seriously.
Should I Try and Speak to Clients Who Complain?
Yes and no. If a coaching client raises a legitimate concern and they are one of your target clients, consider reaching out to them to see if they are open to talking to you so you can improve your customer experience. Offer a gift card or something to compensate them for their time; they are doing you a HUGE favour.
The important thing here is to respect what they say. If they say no, then the answer is no. Drop it.
If they agree to a call, fantastic. Schedule a call so you can ask them a few questions and be able to dig further into their responses. Keep it to 15-30 minutes maximum, so you are not taking up too much of their time.
Start the call by thanking them for their time and encouraging them to be honest so you can learn from your mistakes. Reassure them that nothing they say will offend you, and you are just looking to identify where there is room for improvement.
Remain positive throughout the call; remember, everything you learn in this call will help you wow future coaching clients. Don’t get defensive or try to argue with them. Ask questions to dig deeper into why they didn’t like that and what they feel you could’ve done instead. Float possible solutions if you have some improvements in mind or ask them if they have an example of when they’ve experienced a business do that particular thing well.
For example, here are some things you should and shouldn’t say in the call:
❌ “I thought I made that very clear in the welcome emails. Did you not read them?”
✔️ “Where would it be most helpful to receive that information? I included it in the welcome emails, but perhaps I cover too much information and a reminder just before the session would be useful?”
❌ “You kept interrupting me with questions and personal anecdotes when I was trying to teach you this, so of course, we didn’t cover all the material.”
✔️ “I have noticed that this topic seems to really connect with my coaching clients, and they want to share anecdotes and stories. Do you think this topic could use more time? Do you think there’s a way I could better balance sharing stories with teaching the tools to improve in this area? I don’t want to feel like I’m shutting down my coaching clients, but I do find it hard to teach the material I need to if there is too much discussion.”
❌ “You didn’t ever do the homework I asked you to do.”
✔️ “Is there a way I could’ve provided more support between coaching sessions? Would a workbook with exercises be better than setting homework? I think setting homework is more individual because I can make it more personal, but perhaps having a workbook to refer to would be more useful?”
✔️ “Is there a way I could’ve provided more support between coaching sessions? I noticed that you weren’t completing the homework I set in each session. What do you think the barriers were to that, and is there a way I could better support you to apply these lessons to your life?”
See how these examples are solution-focused rather than accusatory. Your focus shouldn’t be on how to change the actions of your coaching clients. It should be on how to change your actions to provide the support your coaching clients need.
How To Set The Record Straight After Negative Reviews
Depending on how you run your coaching business, clients may be able to leave public reviews. This can be great because clients will trust these reviews more than testimonials. It can also be terrifying because clients can leave negative reviews.
If you receive a negative review, there are right and wrong ways to respond. We’ve all seen the businesses that try to clap back at negative reviews, and it ends up a bigger train wreck than before. If you want people reading your reviews to work with you instead of just grabbing the popcorn, then you need to proceed calmly.
The first step is to consider whether you actually need to set the record straight. We recommend approaching replies to negative reviews as a way to show prospective coaching clients that you care and that your coaching clients get everything they need to succeed. If your coaching client leaves a review saying they didn’t get the value they needed or your coaching didn’t feel personal, respond and invite them to contact you for a free session where they can pick your brain. It’s a win-win; prospective coaching clients see that you are invested in their happiness, and you get to learn what questions your coaching course leaves unanswered.
Only set the record straight for factually incorrect information or cases of mistaken identity. The reviewer may be a stranger just leaving negative reviews for lols or someone who is mixing up your business with another.
Don’t let yourself be baited into an emotional response. Your business is your baby, and you have worked hard to get where you are today. It is incredibly hurtful to hear people saying negative things about you and your business. We’re not saying you can’t have an emotional response to negative feedback. Just don’t reply to the review until you’ve dealt with the emotions.
Keep your reply to these complaints short and succinct. Something like this will suffice to set the record straight:
“I checked my records, and you are not one of my clients. Is it possible you’re mixing me up with another business?”
Encourage Feedback As You Go
As a coach, you need your clients to feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and feelings to you. Make it clear to your coaching client that they can talk to you about what you can do to support them.
Not every personality type will feel comfortable giving feedback, though, so make sure you are actively soliciting it. Try to use a number of different learning styles in the first few coaching sessions and ask your coaching clients which ones they prefer. If you notice they seem hesitant, confused, or are not doing something, talk to them about it in a non-judgemental way. Ask them if the exercise is just not working for them and what they feel isn’t working. This will allow you to refine your coaching as it goes on an individual basis. After a while, your coaching client will see you making changes based on their feedback and be more forthcoming with you.
Track this feedback so you can spot patterns and continue to refine your coaching long-term.
Can I Ask a Client to Take Down a Negative Review?
It is only acceptable to ask a client to take down a negative review in a very small number of circumstances. Even then, you really need to do it in the right way. You can only ask a client to change or take down a negative review if all 3 of these conditions are present:
- You listened to their feedback and asked questions to help you to understand the problem
- You have fixed the problem at the heart of the review
- You have offered the unhappy client a chance to test your new product/created a masterclass in that topic for them, and they accepted and have already completed it
Then and only then can you ask them if they would consider updating their review to reflect the changes you have made. Don’t push them to, don’t ask them outright to change their review. Simply ask them if they would consider updating their review to reflect the changes you have made.