Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Sure, that phrase might have been a good retort for a playground adversary bullying you out of your lunch money, but in the business world criticism is a must. It often helps companies correct the mistakes they make unknowingly. Here’s a tip: Google your company’s name and you’ll be shocked with by what you find.

Take, for instance, “Company X”. Here are some examples of online critiques:
“I wouldn’t buy a [Company X] product to save my life!”
“Yeah, it seems that [Company X] just doesn’t give a rat’s backside about getting things right.”
“A recent survey using the Internet has proved that [Company X] sucks.”
“www.ihate[companyx].com”

Curious to know who “Company X” is? It’s Microsoft. High-profile corporations face the harshest remarks of all, but they’re also the ones that appreciate them the most. This year, Microsoft posted a series of YouTube videos highlighting the features of Windows Vista, Office 2007 and Windows Live online services and purposely kept the comments open. The responses are unkind, to say the least, but they will aid the company in figuring out what works and what doesn’t. In the end, learning to love the customers who hate you is what makes a business succeed.

The trick is to differentiate the good criticism from the bad. Bad criticisms are the personal insults that fail to point out actual mistakes, such as the ones listed above for “Company X.”

Microsoft likely overlooks those remarks because they clearly come from individuals blowing off steam. However, when the corporation invited criticism for its Windows Vista and Office 2007 promotional videos on YouTube, it probably realized that some of the comments actually had merit. These are examples of constructive criticism, which should always be considered valid feedback.

Conducting continual customer surveys is a promising sign that your company is on the right track. But to receive constructive criticism, businesses have to know how to ask for it. The best criticism is when a customer says, “I don’t like your product or service because …” To elicit such a response, the questions must be carefully worded. Never ask, “What do you think?” Instead, ask, “What can be improved?” Chances are you’ll find solutions to problems you never knew existed.

It’s important to note that what doesn’t work for one client might still work best for the remainder of your customer base. However, run through every critique with a fine-toothed comb and keep a lookout for patterns.

Also, remember that it is virtually impossible to make every client happy, but taking their opinions into consideration will at least help them understand you are willing to listen and have their best interests at heart. Showing a willingness to learn from your mistakes could keep an unhappy customer from fleeing to the competition. And, actually learning from your mistakes will make the company stronger in the long term.