How to Deal with a Mouthy Competitor
Jan 31st, 2009 by admin
With user-generated content (UGC) now mainstream and the ability to post comments as simple as a click (or two), it’s easy to get a little carried away online. But what happens when you stumble upon a blog post or article where your number one competitor has decided – for whatever reason – to leave behind a nasty comment or remark about your business. It can be all too enticing to respond in a fit of anger; to really give it to them good. After all – they started it, right? Not so fast. Simply lashing out is not in the best interest of your business or your reputation. This is not Las Vegas. What you do and say online, stays with you wherever you go.
Here’s what to do when you have been wronged by a mouthy (or type-friendly) competitor:
- Always start by writing to the blogger, author or editor who wrote or published the article. Explain to them that the comment left by your competitor was in ill-will and could be detrimental to your business. Kindly ask them to consider removing the remarks as soon as possible. And thank them for their assistance. It also doesn’t hurt to give them some positive feedback about their work or publication.
- If your request for removal is denied or ignored outright, consider sending an email to your competitor politely asking them to consider modifying or removing their post. Try to engage them into a friendly dialogue. Never get defensive or call them a liar (or any other insult). If you have never done anything directly to hurt their business, remind them of this. Explain that their post really caught you off guard and you were wondering what might have provoked it. You’ll certainly have to swallow your pride on this one, but quite often a little bit of nice goes a long way. If they email back with yet another nasty comment or two, refrain from responding.
- When options one and two fail, it’s time to bring out the big guns: your written and posted response to what your competitor had to say. Again, you want to remain as professional as possible. Don’t give in to the urge to get snippy. Start off your response by stating the obvious – that the previous remarks caught you completely off guard and you don’t know what provoked them. Go on to explain that you would love to have an opportunity to discuss the matter with your competitor and invite them to call or email you. Detail how you as a business owner and business entity have always tried to maintain favorable business practices and great customer service. Talk about why you think your competitor’s remarks were erroneous or off base. Inject a bit of wit or humor to lighten the mood. You’re basically trying to set the record straight without causing hostility or any further negative PR.
You do have several other options – but these should be reserved for the most erroneous, damaging posts out there. First you can accuse the blogger, publisher and/or competitor of libel. Here in the US and abroad, “publishing outright lies with the intent to defame or injure the reputation of others” is illegal and punishable by law. So you have the option of bringing a civil lawsuit against the defamer or defamers. This is a long and expensive process, so it may not be the right choice for you and your business. An alternative is to contact the hosting company that the blogger, author or publisher uses and file a violation report. You can obtain hosting information by doing a Whois lookup on the domain using the URL. Before writing to the hosting company, make sure that you can prove abuse or wrongdoing that goes against the hosting provider’s terms of use and conditions. Libel won’t fly with most hosting providers. You can also request to have the specific page removed from Google using their Webpage Removal Request tool.
Now something to keep in mind… If you have done something that may have previously offended your competitor – leading to the nasty post - don’t try to downplay the situation or lie about what happened. You don’t have to get into details (such as admitting to any so-called wrongdoing). The less said the better. Simply state that you regret the circumstances and apologize for doing anything that might have been construed as ill-spirited. Then go on to compliment your competitor on a new feature, service or event.
The guidelines above are really meant for the solo entrepreneur or small business. They are not appropriate for most large corporations or public companies. Entities of this magnitude and size should always bring these matters to the attention of an in-house or subcontracted lawyer.
Spot on about keeping the moral high-ground. This is sound advice … though a mischievous part of me is inclined to think that bad publicity is better than …
Definitely easier said than done, but it must be done: Keep cool.
If you feel you must reply — and many people say that accusations un-rebutted become facts in the public’s mind — it must be very measured and dispassionate. You must answer the criticism with cold, hard facts and not let emotion get the best of you.
But it’s also important to be as succinct as possible. Few people will take the time to read long replies, and long replies just seem specious even if they’re completely forthright.
I recommend a drastically different approach.
You can point your best customers to the offending post — and ask them to honestly tell you what they think of the post. Many will rush to publicly rebut the “flame” post — leaving you looking like a hero without making any kind of public fuss.
It speaks volumes when your customers rush to defend you while you remain silent. It also makes the competition look small.
This approach underscores why social media participation and community building is so important. Knowing who your best customers are and who is most likely to defend you is key.
Never ask a blogger to remove a comment or change copy. This creates bad will.