Why Negative Feedback is the Best Feedback
Just wanted to share a quick story that happened to me a few days ago in order to help you deal with negative people who are trying to kill yo’ vibe.
The other day I received an email notification saying that someone had opted in to receive a free website analysis on my web design portfolio website. The individual didn’t end up booking a meeting, so I figured I would follow up and see if I could assist.
I reached out and the individual emailed me back saying that he was in need of design work, but he said my website was a mess, so clearly I wouldn’t be able to help him out.
I was a bit taken aback at first, thinking to myself, who the hell is this dude? However, I kept my cool, and figured I would reach out in order to get feedback and see where I can improve.
I sent an email back asking for feedback. He actually provided me with some useful insights that highlighted some issues with my current site, which was exactly what I was looking for.
I thanked him for his feedback, then asked him how he came across my site. He mentioned that he had found me through Upwork and after seeing that my rates were the highest, he was curious as to what his investment would get him. He then went on to tell me that he had a look through my portfolio, and concluded that $8/hr contractors from India had better portfolios than me.
*OOOOOOOOOOH SNAP, SON!*
As expected, I was slightly pissed off. But I brushed it off, then reached back out again. I thanked him for his feedback and asked if he could refer me to the $8/hr contractors who had better portfolios as I am always looking for quality contractors. Was I trolling him? Maybe a bit. But if these $8/hr high quality contractors were actually out there, I wanted to know about it so I could use them for future projects. (I still haven’t heard back from him yet, oh well…)
In conclusion, I didn’t know this guy, but he was certainly coming off strong and criticizing my work that I had spent a lot of time on. However, at the end of the day, your perception of these negative or overly critical people is the ONLY thing that matters. You can react from an emotional standpoint and internalize this negative feedback, or you can move the emotions over to the side, see the situation for what it is, and use the opportunity as a learning experience.
The choice is up to you- but I can tell you the last option certainly is the one that benefits you the most.
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PS. Here’s my web design portfolio site. Do you think it’s as much of a mess as this guy says?! Not that it matters, just curious… 🙂
