RatePoint Customer Reviews Service Shutting Down
One of our readers alerted us that RatePoint, the customer review software solution that many eCommerce and other businesses used on their websites, is shutting down. The RatePoint homepage is still operational as of this writing. But some customers report being unable to access their accounts, or report what they consider poor treatment.
Michael McDermott of BashFoo wrote a few days ago:
The leaders in online reputation management services, Ratepoint Inc. of Needham, MA reported this afternoon the abrupt shutdown of all operations. In an email that was sent out this afternoon to all “partners, customers and friends” they stated:
“RatePoint’s assets and technologies are currently being acquired, and unfortunately this means that all RatePoint accounts will soon be closed. Effective February 2, 2012, all RatePoint services, including Reputation Management, Email Marketing, Surveys, and Product Reviews will be discontinued. Your ability to access your RatePoint account will end at this time.”
Although the date of February 2, 2012 was mentioned as the deadline date that accounts could no longer be accessed by customers to retrieve their data, some RatePoint customers are reporting that they are unable to access their accounts now.
Poor Communications
According to a thread at the Web Hosting Talk forum, some customers were taken by surprise by the news of the closure. They are scrambling to find a replacement for customer reviews.
What baffles me is that from the homepage of the RatePoint website, it is still apparently business as usual. There is no notice of the pending closure on the RatePoint homepage, as of this writing on January 28, 2012. You have to dig into the Customer Support center to find the notice of operations discontinuing buried deep, with the date of January 4th on it. Yet over 3 weeks later, there’s nothing on the home page about it.
But here’s the worst part: RatePoint made the decision to shut down as early as November 2011, according to this item in their Customer Support database. Yet they seem to have done little to notify customers and — so it would appear — kept accepting new ones in the meantime.
A Venture Funded Company Goes Sour
RatePoint was venture capital funded. According to a press release back in 2009, the company reported at the time that it had “closed a $10 million Series B round of funding led by Castile Ventures of Waltham, Mass., with participation by existing investors .406 Ventures and Prism VentureWorks.” Which goes to show … venture funding is no guarantee of business success.
We reviewed RatePoint back in August 2011 during happier times for the company. Since then, Constant Contact acquired the email marketing portion of the business, leaving the reputation management/reviews piece behind at RatePoint. It’s the reputation management (customer reviews) piece that is shutting down at this time.
What Should You Do if You Are a RatePoint Customer?
So what should you do if you are a RatePoint customer?
- Try to export your existing customer reviews if you can — immediately. There are these instructions for exporting your Business Reviews buried in the Customer Support database.
- What if you’ve prepaid annually already? Buried in the help center is a notice of where to mail your refund request.
- Search for a competitor offering a special deal for a replacement. Customer Lobby and Shopper Approved are two such that are offering special deals to RatePoint customers left in the lurch.
RatePoint Customer Reviews Service Shutting Down
If Your Product is Really Good, It Should Sell Itself
How true is this? In response to an article on how to promote your business without being pushy, David Morgan threw the statement, “If your product or service is really good, it should sell itself” out there. So is it true?
If your product or service is really good, will it sell itself? And if so, when?
We want passive income, passive work and pay checks that come like clockwork—I know I do. But how passive can we be in the sales process?
Do products or services really sell themselves?
I see it like this: marketing is exposure. But the sales part of the process is closure. It’s the point that we decide to act on this “thing” that we now want, need and can no longer live without. And ultimately, in order for us to make the most of our customer’s experience we do have to be extremely active in both the marketing and the sales—or at least active in the plan behind the sales and marketing.
But David brings up an interesting point:
“If you produce a product or service which exceeds your customers expectations while fulfilling their needs and wants, it will basically sell itself (within reason).”
While I don’t believe that anything ever sells itself, I agree with the idea that a quality product or service can be much easier to sell. But every part of the process needs the best that we have to give.
As Gregory Berns, Psychiatrist and Author of Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How To Think Differently says:
“A person can have the greatest idea in the world…but if that person can’t convince enough other people, it doesn’t matter.’’
It’s also true of products because convincing “enough other people” is the marketing process. We just need to consider product development as the first part of the marketing process. Better products, better marketing, a better sales process leads to a better business.
So what do you think? I would love to know what you’ve learned from your own business. In the meantime, here is a quick “2-part,-I-almost-don’t-need-to-say-it,-but-I-will” marketing process/summary (and thanks, David, for your comments).
A Simple “2-Part,-I-Almost-Don’t-Need-to-Say-it,-But-I-Will” Marketing Process
Your marketing budget may be slashed, forcing you to use non-traditional but more cost effective mediums. That’s ok, you can still get your name out there. You just have to:
- understand your options;
- learn how to effectively use what you have;
- design a plan and implement it with everything that you got.
Simple Website Strategy
You need a website home that is more than just a brochure online. Have an about page that sounds like there are real people behind the business. Use a blog to have personal engagement with some of your visitors.
You can also use social media to connect and have a conversation. Act like you are talking to real people—because you are. And then give them some place to go when they finish talking to you on social media. That “some place” should be your information filled website that completely relates to your product or service and your audience.
Simple Product Strategy
Create one heck of a product or service that solves a real problem. And make it simple, or as simple as possible. When developing or upgrading the product, think like the client. Feel their frustration and work to alleviate it.
If you have a hard time role playing, then talk to real clients and find out what they really hate. In this economy money is spent daily, but only when necessary. And oftentimes necessary just means irresistible. So design an irresistible product for your target audience and then market it like it matters.
Sales Photo via Shutterstock
If Your Product is Really Good, It Should Sell Itself
Steps and Strategy: It’s About a Niche and Productivity
Small business owners often shoot from the hip, do what others will not do and sometimes attempt to accomplish monumental tasks in small amounts of time with limited resources. I respect the ambition. We have things like the telephone, the car, the ipod because of this frontiersman like ambition. But there is a process to everything.
As John Mariotti says in, “You Can’t Rush The Harvest:”
“After the right steps are taken the crop grows and matures.”
While he was talking about government programs, spending and job creation, it holds true for business development. So, instead of diving in head first, take a few strategy steps first.
Here are two areas to consider: Niches and Productivity.
Niche It And Make It Stick
In “How To Find A Market Niche That Makes Money” Ivana Taylor says:
“It’s counterintuitive to think that by focusing on a smaller market you will actually make more money, but it’s true.”
Niches give you a chance to focus on a target market. That focus means you can truly know your entire market and create solutions that resonate with them. Instead of having an “every man” product, you can effectively create the “go to” solution for your niche.
Focus is powerful. The problem is small businesses are often slow to accept the power of niches and choose to serve everybody. Well, Walmart type companies have everybody covered, you can afford to niche and take care of specific markets.
Lean, Mean Productivity
We are not factories, but productivity matters to us just like any other company. Are you getting the best bang for your buck? Are you making the most of the time that you pay for? How much are you getting done?
Even if it’s a one man or one woman business, you still want to know that your tools, your independent contractors, your late night efforts are saving you time and making you money. You want to know that it’s worth it. And there’s only one way to know.
In “Pride And Productivity: A Win Win Combination,” John Mariotti says, “If you want productivity to be good—and get better—then measure it and manage it.” You have to track your efforts. And you have to manage the work.
But how?
For businesses with employees, managers are important. That’s their role. They need to understand the business, the team and the company goals. Then they are responsible for inspiring, informing and managing the outcome.
For solopreneurs you have to manage yourself. And that means tracking your efforts. I suggest a time sheet that documents how many hours you spend on each task and the end results. This way you can see if you truly save money by designing your own website, being your own bookkeeper, and developing your own marketing strategy without the support of an experienced team.
I use an app to measure my activity (so that I can track it in my phone—iTimesheet). And it has been an eye opener. This data helps me understand which activities cost the most and make the most.
Remember, the cost of time always counts.
Niche Photo via Shutterstock
Steps and Strategy: It’s About a Niche and Productivity
