The Baker Retailing Initiative at Wharton School of Business conducted a Retail Customer Dissatisfaction Study.  This study exposed some very interesting statistics.  One out of every three dissatisfied customers complains to an average of four people he knows. These four people then avoid the store in question based solely on the negative word of mouth. 

Of these customers who have had a negative experience, only 6% of them contacted the company, but 31% went on to tell friends, family or colleagues what happened. Of those, 8% told one person, another 8% told two people, but 6% told six or more people.

Wharton marketing professor Stephen J. Hoch tells us, “Even though these shoppers don’t share their pain with the store, they do share their pain with other people.” This negative word of mouth can be very damaging to a business.

Every time you have the opportunity to create a truly memorable experience for your customers, you should remember these numbers.  Make sure the “memorable experience” is a GREAT one!

About The Author 

Pat Bryson is the founder of Bryson Broadcasting International, a consulting firm that works with radio stations around the world to increase revenue by raising the skill level of their sales staffs. Her client list spans from the United States to Canada, Europe and Central Asia.

Pat has spent her entire career creating a culture of over-achievement for her stations. She began her career in radio sales, becoming one of the highest billing sales people in her market. Her career advanced to General Sales Manager, and then to Market Manager. Since starting BBI 7 years ago, she has helped hundreds of radio stations to find, train and grow great quality sales people and managers.

Pat was the recipient of two prestigious educational fellowships from the Educational Foundation of the National Association of Broadcasters: a fellowship to the Executive Development Program and a fellowship to the Broadcast Leadership Training Program.

She publishes the Bryson Broadcasting International Newsletter twice monthly and is a contributor to Valerie Geller’s latest book, Beyond Powerful Radio: A Communicator’s Guide To The Internet Age.

You may contact Pat at [email protected] or visit her website at http://www.patbryson.com.

This article was republished with permission from Pat Bryson’s Newsletter