I’d like to share an interesting experience. As professionals, we are cognizant of our online reputation and try to please everyone (though we know that's not actually possible).
I believe that sooner or later, each of us will encounter toxic people whether the encounter is personal or in business.
Hopefully, as we get older, our skills get better at recognizing toxic personalities and it’s easier to avoid the stress of any interaction.
But sometimes, the Toxic Radar
gets fooled.
I had the unfortunate experience of having to deal with the aftermath of firing a toxic client (that’s another whole blog, recognizing when to fire a toxic client).
There were threats of filing complaints and leaving nasty feedback and it appears this couple is making good on the threats.
This was new for me so I had to research how & what to do about damage control – I’ve been fortunate to have the pleasure of working with many geniunely wonderful people. With about 10 years of successful short sales, it has been extremely gratifying to help underwater homeowners navigate the crisis of losing their home.
I already knew, and research confirmed, that a bell cannot be unrung and so it is with negative feedback. Regardless whether the feedback is unfounded or not, it stays out there in the cyberspace of the World Wide Web.
The remedy seems easy; simply dilute the negative feedback with positive feedback.
How?
I began by reaching out to past clients with a simple message asking for their support and a brief explanation of what was going on.
Oh My Gosh! The response was overwhelming. While short sales are not the only type of transaction I handle, at one time, over 90% of my real estate transactions involved a short sale. Short sales can be grueling, frustrating and sometimes you feel like throwing in the towel. I am so thankful to have been a part helping good folks get to the other side of their housing crisis. The responses received from my email asking their help in damage control confirms that those long, tedious hours handling those short sales were worth it on levels much higher than just a paycheck.
Thank You Mr & Mrs Nasty! Had you not been so nasty, I may not have had the opportunity to be reminded of all the wonderful people who selected me for their real estate needs.
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