After being in business for over 15 years, in 2023 I received my first (and only) negative business review.
Although I have plenty of positive reviews, case studies and client testimonials, it is still disheartening to see that one client felt disappointed with my services.
However, I also understand that despite your best intentions, in business you can’t please everyone.
Since this particular ex-client has been posting the same negative comment on multiple websites including the Better Business Bureau – BBB and other random consumer websites (and it’s impossible to address every single website one by one) I thought it would be easier to share my thoughts on this page instead.
Quick summary
The short version:
The bad comment claims that Skyline Social a scam because they never got their desired results. Although they did actually get some leads & appointments, they never got as many as they were hoping. Unfortunately, this particular client did not implement all (or even half) of the information in the training program. They only implemented about 20% of it. They also refused to implement some of the suggestions that were offered to improve results.
Interestingly, even though this client claims they were not happy with the results, over a year later, they are still using the same sales funnel we helped them create to promote their business.
Since I take pride in my work and always do my best to go above and beyond meeting client expectations (as this client and this client both specifically state in their positive review), I thought it would be helpful to address my point of view on what happened.
Note: There are also some negative reviews about a company called “Skyline Marketing”. Please note this company has nothing to do with Skyline Social and is not affiliated with us in any way. It’s a completely different company with a similar name.
Detailed Response to the review
To be completely transparent, here is the negative review that was posted online:
The two main accusations from the review are that we “did not deliver on what was sold” and “having no idea why it didn’t work and no idea how to fix it.”
Here’s a detailed response to address these specific parts of the review:
Accusation: “They did not deliver at all on what they sold”
My Response: The client did receive the marketing course that was purchased and received the support that was promised too. In fact, at the time of writing this (over 12 months later) they are still using the same funnel and marketing materials that was created to help them promote their business. I’m not sure why they would still be using the marketing system if the results weren’t as good as they claim.
Accusation: “They admitted to having no idea why it didnt work and no idea how to fix it”
My Response: Firstly, they did get some results (leads & appointments) but didn’t get as many results as they would have liked. We did offer suggestions on how to improve their results. This particular client, unfortunately, did not want to implement the suggestions. They also didn’t implement everything taught in the marketing course either. They only implemented one part of it (LinkedIn lead generation) and didn’t implement anything else (Google, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, etc).
I offered many suggestions on how to improve the results on LinkedIn, but they didn’t want to implement these suggestions.
For example, one of the suggestions I gave was for them to try using LinkedIn Sales Navigator to better be able to target their ideal clients. Unfortunately, they didn’t want to pay extra for a LinkedIn Sales Navigator account. Although it is true that some clients can get results without a sales navigator account, for others, it’s much easier to find their ideal clients with a sales navigator account because of the extra search filters they give you.
For this particular client, I believe a Sales Navigator account would have made it easier for them to find their ideal clients. I also recommended they combine LinkedIn with other channels taught in the marketing course to increase their chances of success.
From my perspective, it sounded like they were simply looking for quick results with minimal effort on their end, which quite frankly, is not how successful businesses operate.
The bottom line
While our online course has aided countless clients in achieving their goals, the journey to success requires effort and commitment to the strategies presented.
At Skyline Social, our primary goal is to provide tools, strategies, and support that pave the way for success. However, like most online training programs, the results ultimately depend on a blend of our guidance and implementation of the strategies and suggestions provided.
Nevertheless, in marketing, there are still some things that are out of control. Even so, for each client, we still strive to do everything in our power to help them have the best possible chance of success.
In fact, that’s why we create so much free content!
And some of our clients (before they were clients) have even had a lot of success just by reading our blog and watching our free YouTube videos (here’s an example of such a client).
Ashley Davis (or ‘Ash’ for short) is the CEO & Founder of Skyline Social. For over 15 years, Ash has been helping business owners get high-quality leads, appointments, and clients each month. He has extensive experience working with B2B & B2C industries in finance, insurance, marketing, sales and beyond. Learn more about the author here.
