I’ve heard this one before. I’ve used this one before.
“No one’s complaining” so it's fine.
“No one” really means “no one has complained to you“. It doesn’t mean no one is complaining to someone else, somewhere else.
In fact, if the thing you make/sell isn’t meeting someone’s expectations, there’s a good chance you’re the last one who’d hear the complaint.
Contacting the company to complain is pretty far down the list. At the top are friends, family, colleagues. If you aren’t hearing the complaint it’s likely because it’s directed elsewhere. People typically talk truth behind backs, not to faces.
Reputation erodes in the shadows before it comes to light.
It’s not all that different from a manager or CEO eventually discovering something was wrong but “no one told me sooner”. The higher up you are, you’re often the last to know.
Out of everywhere someone will complain, you’re close to nowhere.
“I haven’t heard anyone complain about that to me” is a more accurate statement.
So next time you say “no one’s complaining” you may be right, but you’re probably wrong. Doesn’t mean you need to do anything about it – not all complaints are worth acting on (as Bob Moesta famously says "bitching ain't switching") – but it should serve as a reminder that there’s a lot you don’t know.
“No one’s complaining” so it's fine.
“No one” really means “no one has complained to you“. It doesn’t mean no one is complaining to someone else, somewhere else.
In fact, if the thing you make/sell isn’t meeting someone’s expectations, there’s a good chance you’re the last one who’d hear the complaint.
Contacting the company to complain is pretty far down the list. At the top are friends, family, colleagues. If you aren’t hearing the complaint it’s likely because it’s directed elsewhere. People typically talk truth behind backs, not to faces.
Reputation erodes in the shadows before it comes to light.
It’s not all that different from a manager or CEO eventually discovering something was wrong but “no one told me sooner”. The higher up you are, you’re often the last to know.
Out of everywhere someone will complain, you’re close to nowhere.
“I haven’t heard anyone complain about that to me” is a more accurate statement.
So next time you say “no one’s complaining” you may be right, but you’re probably wrong. Doesn’t mean you need to do anything about it – not all complaints are worth acting on (as Bob Moesta famously says "bitching ain't switching") – but it should serve as a reminder that there’s a lot you don’t know.
-Jason