How to be a bad service provider and negative reviews and testimonies!

Now not everyone ideally looks up a blog or an article for such a topic but believe it or not, unintentionally and some rare times intentionally freelancers, service providers and small businesses do things that get create a nasty aftertaste feeling about them in their client's mind and causing them to give you bad reviews and testimonies and spread a bad reputation about you when asked.

But we care about you, the ones who aren’t trying to make such mistakes and truly want to help their clients.

So we are sharing with you things bad service providers do to get negative reviews and testimonies! And also what to do so you can prevent them and get a great testimony, review and a sweet spot in your client's minds and networks!

Here we go!

Taking advantage of your client's goodwill!

Many small businesses and individuals have a vision they want to bring to reality and they seek your expertise to do so, and being business owners themselves they respect you and understand certain things that can make doing your work hard and try to avoid them, to help you do the best!
Such as, not bothering you too much, respecting your time, hearing you out and giving you extensions if there are delays.

If you take advantage of their goodwill, understanding and empathy towards you and try to trick them, sham them or do injustice to them, they feel used, and they don't just try to end the contracts soon but even end up resenting you and sharing the same with others so that they don't get used.

Be an honest service provider, and when working with clients, respect them and value their goodwill, it's hard to come by and from one business owner to another, treat your clients as you would like to be treated.

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Not standing by commitments or owning up to your mistake and blaming them.

Many times service providers make mistakes, it is not often but it happens, sometimes it can be in the form of missing something or making an error and something it can be in the form of making commitments and not doing what you said.

When you go into any contract or service with a client, they need you and hence they come to you, now it's okay to make mistakes and admit to it, they will understand and when you make up for it or do something to further compensate, they still come back in the given time as they see you as an honest individual. So while your forgiveness points may be down you will have a chance to earn them back.

But if you play in bad faith and blame your clients for the mistakes, do not own up to it, deflect them and try to not even compensate or fix what's messed up. You don't just lose a client but you become a hack and someone people will soon stop trusting and investing with!

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Playing on Bad faith and not being there for the client you commit to.

Speaking of bad faith. If you make a commitment stick to it, when you pay with goodwill, it comes back 10 folds, but when you play with it, it bites back even harder!

If you make a commitment, stick to it, if you doubt even slightly that you may not be able to, then dont commit in the first place or leave before it gets messy, but don't hang clients out to dry because you couldn't handle the project or you had too many clients at once and you can't make time for them after agreeing on ideal terms.

If you make a commitment stick to it or don't commit. If you do then manage your schedule going forward in ways to support everything and everyone you decide to commit to.

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Overpromising and underdelivering

Now we have been here a lot, and a great way to surprise a client and build a long-lasting relationship is by under-promising and over-delivering. A good saying is, promise for less, give more!

But there is even an opposite. When you say you can do a lot of things in a given time, but you don't even meet them halfway at the time of delivery or drop things off after saying you can do them because you realise you can't. Don't set expectations you can't deliver on.

Committing to projects without understanding your capabilities and potential, is the worst thing you can do as a freelancer, service provider or small business! It shows the lack of clarity you have and how bad you are at dealing with clients and projects! Even if you aren't so all the time!

Because if you do exactly your job or a bit more you leave with a satisfied client with happy results but if you knowingly go below it, then that causes damages and affects their expectations of the impact they wanted to create.

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Throwing Clients under the bus for money

This is the worst! Yes, we understand we all want the big bucks and huge projects. But that never means you drop a client you already made a commitment to just because you found someone who needs you and can pay more! No! What you can do is extend timelines for the new client and try to do so for the current client too if it's not an emergency or let the new client know that you can help them but the start day will be a bit later and talk it out. Be honest!

This shows you are in this for more than money and value and respect each client and the commitment you have made to them.

Because a bad reputation can spread like wildfire but a good one will shower down on you!

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Taking advantage of clients' goodwill and selling them something they don't need to make a few extra bucks!

No, no, no! This is the worst thing! And the even worse part, most people do it without even having the intent to do it for a sham! A lot of times creatives think that their service is the solution to all or most problems! We are often stuck in such a bubble!

But let's not do that, because this is someone's business and it means a lot to them and they need help to grow! Selling them something they don't need can cause more damage than help!

The best way to actually identify if they need your services or what they actually need is by a discovery and strategy call to identify what they need.

And if they do need you great! Even they see it!

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If not, refer them to someone who can actually help you! Now this may lose you a client, but you will gain their trust and respect, and even shows them you are the right person to be in bed with! And going forward when they do need you, now that they know you, there's a great chance they will come to you! And in the meantime, you can always charge a referral fee for sending this client to them!

When you actually do the right thing! And support your clients! They aren't just excited to work with you and satisfied with the results! But they will willing to refer you to their network and will be more than excited to give an authentic and valid testimony! That speaks to your impact and the relationship you build!

And Rivista is here to help even that process easier and even help you be seen not just for your service but even for the good person you are! Many can do what you do, but no one treats clients and has a personality like you. Rivista, is the only review collection platform that even recognises and shows the way you treat your clients.

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