Present Negative Review or is that just giving others a stick to beat you with?

by 10 replies
13
Hi All,

I'm tweaking the information about a product I sell and I have a few nice comments on it from buyers. On the other hand I have one very negative comment from a buyer.

I was thinking of including the negative review on my site (with the caption not everyone loves it) as well as the positive reviews just to show the flip side. Very much like Caleb did in his post about the email he received.

Has anyone ever included the bad and ugly along with the good when you presented your product/s.

Or is this just giving out sticks to be beaten with.

Curious,

George Wright
#main internet marketing discussion forum #beat #giving #negative #present #review #stick
  • Can you use the negative review to improve your product? If so, you could promote the updated version by dissecting the negative review. Explain how you used it to improve your product and also use all the positive reviews.

    Otherwise, you could admit a flaw in your product that the negative review addresses without using the review directly.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • Banned
    I've "thanked" your post just for being such a good question, though I don't know the answer at all.

    I'm instinctively inclined to think it's good to include a negative comment. I think it enhances your credibility. But you might want to make sure it's one that's negative about a relatively obscure point, that isn't going to be too off-putting to too many people?

    I think the question of whether you're giving a money-back guarantee might be relevant, too, here?
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Hi Alexa,

      Good point. Yes, it was a refund request, which I of course honored.

      George Wright

  • Show it last. By the end of your sales page your customer will hopefully already be convinced by your copy and other positive reviews that they will buy it. The negative review will be dismissed as some grouse and you will get points for being honest.

    If they make it all the way to the negative review and haven't made their buying decision, the review probably won't sway them one way or another.
    • [1] reply
    • "In the spirit of transparency, I want to be upfront with everyone and let you know that of ALL the sales I have made so far, there was ONE negative review. This person did not like "xxxxxx" but since you can avoid this problem by doing "xxxxxxxxxxxx", this has not been a problem for any of my dozens of other buyers."

      Tina
      • [ 3 ] Thanks
  • Is there any way to spin it so that it sounds like a negative review but really is a positive review? It probably isn't "Because of your product I strained my back carrying all those thousand dollar checks to the bank", but something like "The product wasn't for me, please send me a refund" makes a nice way to show off your refund policy.
    • [1] reply
    • It DEPENDS on what the negative review was about. Some negative reviews like "Hey Why the heck are you giving this away for such a low price! You are going to create competition for me!" might be great while "Im not so good with a computer, your members area is hard to navigate" might not be so good.

      Never the less it would be awesome to include certain negative reviews.
      • [1] reply
  • Most people just try to be nice. Even if they don't believe the product is that good.
  • I just read, "The Ultimate Sales Letter" by Dan Kennedy.

    He says to "create a damaging admission and address flaws openly"

    He further elaborates on how to do that in Step three in the book.

    Not sure if that technique would work with your example of a negative review of the product.
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