(0:53) Dealing with a negative boater review can be stressful. Good marinas try hard to provide boaters with a great experience. It's a natural reaction to feel defensive, especially if you think a complaint is unfair.(0:48) I speak from experience. Among the hundreds and hundreds of emails we receive every week, there are invariably one or two that are complaining about something. Sometimes the complaints are unfair or unreasonable, but more often there is something relevant to take away and consider.
(0:42) You determine where you will focus your attention, on the problem or on finding a solution.
(0:40) Fixating on the problem can bring negative emotions. These emotions will only stand in the way of finding your solution. When our judgement is clouded by negative feelings, we are far more likely to make poor decisions. When I see a marina response to a review that is defensive, sometimes even attacking the reviewer, I know they have allowed those negative emotions to take hold. It never has a good outcome.
(0:29) Instead of seeing a negative review as an attack, view it as an opportunity to find a solution for making you marina better.
(0:26) Consider this. A boater that feels he had a less than positive experience at your marina exists whether he took the time to write a review or not. Either way you have an unhappy customer out there in the boating community talking to other boaters. The fact that he took the time to write a review often indicates that all is not lost.
(0:17) The overriding emotion that I see in most negative reviews is disappointment. The boater was hoping for a good experience but felt let down.
(0:14) How you choose to focus your attention will determine your emotional state - positive or negative. Choosing the negative path can lead to less self-control which typically leads to poor decisions.
(0:09) Choosing to focus on the actions or solutions you can take to make the situation, your marina, and even yourself better will lead to positive feelings and better reactions. You will always be most effective when you focus on solutions rather than problems.
(0:02) And that's the marina minute.
