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Time To Seek Out Criticism As A Marketing Strategy

This article is more than 5 years old.

In California I teach, “The Universe rewards activity.” When I am in the Midwest, I teach, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” Spiritually speaking, I am bilingual.

My spiritual message today is the Universe rewards seeking out criticism and doing something about it. That is the path to retaining high-paying clients.

When I was a consultant for the restaurant division of Marriott International, the organization seemed obsessed with getting customers to complain. The hotel chain had active programs to get guests to offer criticism.

That made me curious so I quizzed executives until I found out why. They cited studies about how the most loyal (and profitable) customers were those who were critical and their problems were fixed. (For full disclosure, I was so impressed I bought a tiny amount of Marriott stock and have hung on to it). Customers who were unhappy, but did not want to rock the boat by not complaining, were easily lost.

Being critical is not something that is always embraced.

Troublingly, while almost 9 out of 10 managers consider giving and receiving criticism a skill that can be taught, 67% admitted receiving no formal training on how to give or receive criticism.

In late 2016 the National Management Association (NMA) collaborated with Bright Enterprises, Inc., to survey its members for the purpose of better understanding the role, if any, that criticism plays in the workplace.

“It appears from the survey findings that, regardless of its unpopularity as a frequently-used approach for creating change, managers do view criticism as a valuable, and even necessary, communication tool,” says author Deb Bright.

Bright is founder and president of Bright Enterprises, an executive coaching and training organization, and the author of six books, including The Truth Doesn’t Have to Hurt: How to Use Criticism to Strengthen Relationships, Improve Performance, and Promote Change.

Bright is an advocate of the truth, but sees that others are not fully onboard. Among the results, her survey showed:

  • 91% of surveyed managers believe that the effective use of criticism can result in bringing about positive change within the workplace.
  • Also noteworthy is that 75% of managers surveyed believe they would fulfill their role more effectively if they were well-trained in how to give and receive criticism.
  • 13% of survey respondents believe that their organization should ban the use of the word criticism. While another 9% believe that criticism altogether is harmful and its use should be avoided.
  • 15% of survey respondents said the use of the word criticism is discouraged in their organization.
  • When exploring whether organizations encourage open and candid communications, it is noteworthy that only 59% of managers believe that is true in their particular organization.

Nobody is perfect. Not you, not me, not anyone. While your goal should be to have clients say, “They just do everything right,” that is something to strive for but an unrealistic expectation.

What you can do is encourage clients to criticize you and then do something to fix it.