We’ve all heard the buzz about transparency and openness, but where are the shining star examples?
I found one in an unexpected place today. Browsing sofa choices at CustomSofaDesign.com, I clicked on testimonials and was surprised by what I found.
Each user review included a few things:
- The date
- The style of the sofa purchased
- An image of the custom sofa
- An open-ended review
- Several questions and the reviewer’s answers
Seemed pretty normal until I read the second question.
What did you not like about CustomSofaDesign?
WHAT!? Hold the phone!
Reviewer after reviewer had answered the question by explaining what they least preferred about their experience. And it was all published right there on the site.
What marketer would do something like that!?!
A smart one.
Scrolling through the reviews as a potential buyer, I paid special attention to what negative things people had to say. Answers included:
- “Couldn’t see it before it was done, but it turned out perfectly!”
- “Did not accept credit card for payment.”
- “Shipping took a little while, but totally worth the wait!”
If these were some of the worst things customers wanted to say about their experiences, the company is doing a stellar job. The presence of the less-than-glamorous made it clear that the testimonials were un-doctored. And, since reviews were published directly on the site, I’d suspect that the company has a vested interest in being sure that each and every customer was satisfied.
It’s possible that they’ve omitted entire reviews from the site and I don’t know that. But from the looks of it, this page is an honest-to-goodness representation of who they are. Take ‘em or leave ‘em. And as a result of this page, I just made take ‘em.
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