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\n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n
I try to maintain a growth mindset. That means taking constructive criticism seriously, because I want to properly consider every opportunity to learn how I can improve my business.<\/p>\n
But not all criticism is constructive. Sometimes, unsolicited opinions are intentionally shared to disrupt or distract you. And sometimes, advice is simply bad \u2014 no matter how good the intentions behind it may be.<\/p>\n
The question is: How do you tell the difference between the feedback that helps you grow and the noise that will throw you off track if you pay it too much attention?<\/p>\n
My company, Roof Maxx, exists in a highly competitive industry, so we\u2019re used to hearing other people\u2019s opinions. We sell a roof maintenance solution for asphalt shingles<\/a> that can extend their usable lifespan for years by restoring the flexibility they naturally lose over time. Most of the feedback we receive from customers is overwhelmingly positive; we have over 20,000 online customer reviews with an average rating of 4.9\/5 stars. But every so often, we come across misinformation or a divergent opinion about our service and the restoration product it uses.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how we decide whether these cases are worth addressing, and how you can do the same if you ever find your company receiving confusing or counterproductive feedback.<\/p>\n First, let me clarify the above by saying that whenever one of your customers \u2014 or potential customers \u2014 has questions or concerns, it\u2019s always in your best interest to address them. You never blow off the people you serve. That should be rule number one for pretty much every business.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why we have always remained committed to ensuring dealers respond to customer inquiries quickly. If a homeowner wants to know whether Roof Maxx is right for their roof, a dealer goes to perform a thorough assessment and provide their honest opinion. They only recommend Roof Maxx when the roof is a good candidate, with shingles that are aging or brittle but still in decent structural condition.<\/p>\n Our warranty also guarantees that the asphalt shingles our dealers treat will stay flexible and serviceable for five years from the treatment date. So if a customer ever informs us that their treated shingles are losing flexibility within that window, our dealers are trained to investigate right away and re-treat the area in question if necessary. This doesn\u2019t happen often, but the fact that we demonstrate this kind of accountability to customers is still part of why our reviews are so positive.<\/p>\n Like many other businesses, we\u2019ve learned that it\u2019s important to consistently monitor AI platforms for brand mentions. Most of the time, platforms like ChatGPT or Gemini seem to present accurate information about Roof Maxx\u2019s approach to maintaining asphalt shingles. But every so often, I can tell that the data it\u2019s collecting for its responses isn\u2019t entirely accurate.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s one recent example that stuck out to me: that \u201cmost consumers love it, while some contractors question it.\u201d This was hugely telling to me, because it speaks to both our stellar reputation among homeowners and the resistance that we\u2019ve occasionally faced from other professionals in an industry we\u2019ve successfully disrupted.<\/p>\n When you think about it, it actually makes sense that some contractors would have a vested interest in criticizing maintenance solutions that make roof replacements less necessary. After all, roof replacements are the highest-margin service a typical roofing contractor can sell, so it\u2019s common for contractors to recommend them \u2014 even in cases where a homeowner\u2019s current roof can still be saved.<\/p>\n That means the more homeowners who learn that Roof Maxx is a viable alternative, the fewer unnecessary replacements these contractors are likely to sell. Of course, some of them are going to question it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s always disappointing for me when I see these kinds of results show up in our AI brand mentions, but I also understand that it\u2019s not because we\u2019re doing anything wrong. In fact, it\u2019s the opposite: We\u2019re facing a degree of resistance within our industry precisely because we offer an innovative solution to a common problem, and that\u2019s inconvenient for contractors whose business model depends on customers not having a better option.<\/p>\n Chances are that your AI brand mentions won\u2019t always be perfectly accurate. But they can still be valuable, because studying the discrepancies can reveal a lot about how your competitors perceive you and the messages they\u2019re putting out about your brand. This can set you up to control the narrative<\/a>.<\/p>\n I use any inaccurate information about Roof Maxx that I find online to update our marketing strategy accordingly. We address false claims head-on in our blog and on our website. Our dealers make speaking to those points a priority when educating potential or existing customers.<\/p>\n What we\u2019ve found is that the best strategy is not to fight misinformation at the source when the source has a clear ulterior motive. We just make sure we\u2019re being as clear and direct as possible when putting the truth out there.<\/p>\n Telling the truth always gives you an advantage because reality will eventually back it up. In our case, that means more glowing reviews and referrals from people who have actually seen the results of our solution firsthand. Eventually, that information outweighs the noise \u2014 improving brand awareness among both AI and potential customers everywhere.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I try to maintain a growth mindset. That means taking constructive criticism seriously, because I want to properly consider every opportunity to learn how I can improve my business.<\/p>\n But not all criticism is constructive. Sometimes, unsolicited opinions are intentionally shared to disrupt or distract you. And sometimes, advice is simply bad \u2014 no matter how good the intentions behind it may be.<\/p>\n The question is: How do you tell the difference between the feedback that helps you grow and the noise that will throw you off track if you pay it too much attention?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nAny feedback that comes from customers is worth paying attention to<\/h2>\n
Not all feedback comes from customers \u2014 or even real people<\/h2>\n
What to do when your brand is misrepresented online<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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