“Those who enter to buy, support me. Those who come to flatter, please me. Those who complain, teach me how I may please others so that more will come. Those only hurt me who are displeased but do not complain. They refuse me permission to correct my errors and thus improve my service.” -Marshall Field
I think this is a great quote because it is very true. There are many of us who do not like negative feedback because we don’t like to hear complaints about our performance. We might be offended or hurt by negative feedback, but Marshall Field makes a good point in saying that he is only hurt by those who are displeased but do not complain because he knows without negative feedback, he cannot correct his errors and improve his service.
It might not be a pleasant experience to listen to complaints that involve our work or performance, but we need to learn to appreciate them so we can improve our service. Those who are offended by complaints are not looking to improve their service and are not thinking about growing their business. Like Marshall Field, we should crave the opportunity to correct our errors and improve our service so more customers will come and our business can grow.
Assignment Reflection
In reading Chapter 9 of the textbook, I learned how to "Recover the Potentially Lost Customer." This quote by retailing pioneer Marshall Field has helped me to realize the importance of getting feedback from my customers. I love his attitude regarding complaints because it is a different way of thinking than I am used to. I have always been open to receiving feedback from customers, but I have never thought of it in such a positive light. Thanks to this quote, I now accept negative feedback as permission to correct my errors and improve my service.
