You pour your passion, creativity, and long hours into growing your salon business. Reading negative feedback stings, even when you try your best. What next? How do you deal with criticism?
Take a deep breath and read on. In this post, we’ll explore 6 savvy strategies to handle negative reviews. You’ll learn how to turn criticism into opportunities to improve, delight clients, and lift your salon to new heights.
1) Lead With Empathy
Even if you feel the criticism is unfair, start by apologizing. A sincere “I’m sorry you had that experience” opens the door to dialogue instead of defensiveness. It shows you empathize with the client’s perspective and aim to make it right, building goodwill.
Follow up privately to better understand their concerns one-on-one. Was it an off day for a staff member or a process breakdown? The more context you gain, the better you can improve.
Pro Tip: Empower all staff to listen deeply to client concerns without getting defensive.
2) Take Action to Make It Right
If the complaint relates to a real service or staff issue, now’s the time for action. Review your policies, training programs, or staff coaching to pinpoint where and how to improve. Fix the weaknesses at the root.
Then clearly communicate those positive changes to the client who complained. Plus, give frontline staff talking points to share the improvements too, reassuring clients you’re listening.
Pro Tip: Consider offering an incentive like a free treatment or product to bring dissatisfied clients back in and “wow” them.
3) Transform Criticism Into Growth
Every piece of negative feedback contains invaluable insights. Do a post-mortem to identify weak spots and introduce positive changes. Survey staff too – they often notice blindspots.
This review process transforms dissatisfied clients into loyal supporters when you implement improvements. Plus it helps continuously strengthen your salon’s health.
Pro Tip: Publicly thank clients for taking the time to provide feedback. It encourages more truth-telling.
4) Respond Publicly, Discuss the Details Privately
While taking detailed conversations offline is crucial, you still need to publicly acknowledge negative reviews on the actual review site. This visibility reassures all potential clients you hear concerns, care deeply about the client experience, and work hard to make it outstanding.
Designate one thoughtful, responsive point person to handle all public community management replies. They set the tone. Bach up one-on-one conversations with real service recovery behind-the-scenes.
Pro Tip: The public face responding should have a thick skin, cool head, warmth, and outstanding communication skills.
5) Turn Critics Into Raving Fans
Clients complain when expectations about an experience differ from reality. Use negative feedback to clarify and meet expectations going forward. Then blow those expectations out of the water with your stellar service recovery.
When you turn a critic into a raving fan who returns frequently, that special VIP bond lasts a lifetime. Their future referrals and reviews glow.
Pro Tip: Empower staff to delight clients by personalizing extra touches. Attention to detail wins big.
6) Kill With Kindness, Not Fire
Should tensions around a negative review escalate publicly, take the high road. Remain professional, empathetic, and solution-focused. Avoid heated social media exchanges.
Channeling grace under fire distinguishes truly customer-centric salons. Staying cool when emotions run hot earns respect.
Pro Tip: The 80/20 rule applies here too – 80% of people will perceive thoughtfulness and integrity in your actions.
Quick response to a negative review (Template) :
We’re really sorry to hear about your recent experience at our salon – this isn’t the standard we aim for. We’re taking your feedback to heart and looking into what happened.
We would like a chance to personally address this with you. Could you please reach out to us at [your email address] or [phone number]? We truly value your business and want to make things right. Thanks for your feedback, it really helps us improve.
Yes, negative feedback initially stings. But handled skillfully with care for both staff and clients’ concerns, it transforms into connection and fuel for salon growth.
Now you’re ready to turn those lemons into sweet lemonade!
Have your own tips? Share them below!
Hey, I'm Anshul and I'm a 2-comma club award winner with over a decade of experience in the digital marketing industry. I specialize in helping salon and spa businesses scale their business using proven digital marketing strategies.
Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working with a diverse range of clients, from world-renowned motivational speaker Tony Robbins to marketing guru Russell Brunson, as well as internet sensations like Julius Dein and Dan Henry.
3 Comments
Digital Marketing Mistakes to avoid as a Salon Owner – The Salon Marketing
[…] client. Acknowledging a good review shows that you are an attentive business. However, how you deal with less-than-perfect reviews may be even more important. Maintaining a positive and apologetic attitude and resisting the […]
Joy Berrong
What if you are the customer? What if the salon advertised expertise in chemotherapy related hair loss and alopecia? What if you went in blonde and purchased $1200 level 10 blonde extensions, only to have a color disaster and were forced to go to a red color, after eight hours of them trying to correct the mistake?
What if you gave them 12 weeks and 5k to help you get over the trauma of losing your hair?
What if you spent another $3k for another salon to fix it?
What if they pushed you to a stylist on orientation, that you subsequently found out made $12/hr, and all that money you were paying was going to the salon owner and not the stylist?
What do you recommend for the client? What do you recommended they do to prevent the pain experienced by yourself from happening to another chemo survivor?
Seriously, what do you suggest to the client?
Anshul Maheshwari
So sorry to hear what you went through. This post is definitely an advice to the salon owners who are willing to make customer satisfaction a top priority. In any service industry, no matter how hard any business tries, balls are dropped at some point or the other. While mistakes may not be their fault, they need to take the complete responsibility of what happens. Seems like the salon mentioned is only willing to make a quick buck and not fixing their mistake.