The Adventures of Lee The SME Owner
Chapter Fifteen - The Brutal Truth
When the results of the NPS survey came in, Lee felt like someone had punched him in the gut. The score—just +2—hung in the air like a bad joke. He had always thought his customers liked him and respected the work his business did. But now, staring at that number, all he could think was, They hate me. They hate what we make. How did I get it this wrong?
John, sitting across from him, could see the tension in Lee’s face. “I know this feels like a blow, but I promise, it’s not as bad as you think.”
Lee shook his head, still reeling. “How can a +2 be anything but bad? It’s barely positive. It’s like the customers are just tolerating us.”
John leaned forward, calm and composed. “Look, the NPS process can be brutal, but that’s the point. It’s designed to be brutally honest because it forces us to confront reality. But here’s the thing—it’s not about beating yourself up. It’s about using this data to make improvements that could change everything.”
Lee sighed, still visibly upset. “I just didn’t expect it to be so... low.”
John nodded. “That’s understandable. But remember, a score of +2 doesn’t mean your customers hate you. The NPS measures loyalty, and we’ve got a mixed bag here—some of your customers love what you do, others are lukewarm, and a few have some real frustrations. The point is, now we know. And now, we can do something about it.”
Lee still looked unconvinced, but John continued. “Let’s break this down. Your Promoters, the ones who gave you a 9 or 10, are incredibly happy. They love your products, your service—there’s something you’re doing right for them. That’s valuable data. We can dig in and find out what’s making them so loyal. What are you doing that really hits the mark? That’s information we can use to get even more customers to feel that way.”
Lee nodded slowly, beginning to see the logic. “And the Detractors? They all hate us?”
“Not necessarily,” John said, his tone patient. “Remember, a Detractor is anyone who scores between 0 and 6. And for a lot of people, a 6 is a decent score. They’re not necessarily angry or upset—they might even like what you do but see room for improvement. We need to talk to them, figure out what’s bugging them, and see if there are small tweaks we can make that would turn them around.”
Lee rubbed his temples. “I just don’t want this to be a disaster.”
“It’s not,” John said firmly. “This is data. Data is neutral—it’s what we do with it that matters. Right now, you’ve got a golden opportunity. We’ve got insights that most businesses don’t get, and we can use those insights to make changes. Trust me, if we dig into the feedback and make targeted improvements, the consequences on sales could be massive.”
Lee was still hurt, though. “But I thought things were going better than this. The score feels like a punch in the gut.”
“That’s normal,” John reassured him. “We’re in a process, and not every step is going to feel great. But this is exactly why we did the NPS. You can’t fix what you don’t know. Now that we have the data, we can start talking to the Promoters, the Detractors, and the Passives. You’ll be surprised—often, the Passives are the easiest to convert into Promoters with just a few small changes. They’re already happy enough, but we can make them enthusiastic.”
Lee exhaled deeply, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Alright, I get it. It just feels like a lot right now.”
John smiled. “It’s a lot because you care about your business. And that’s a good thing. But you’ve got me here, and we’ll work through this. This isn’t a disaster—it’s an opportunity to improve. And trust me, when we act on this data, the rewards will come.”
Lee gave a small, tired smile. He wasn’t fully convinced yet, but he was beginning to see the value in the process. He trusted John, and for now, that was enough.
They had work to do, but with the brutal truth of the NPS score in hand, they could start making the changes that would bring real growth and, hopefully, a future score that would feel more like a win.