{"id":3232,"date":"2020-02-24T00:01:31","date_gmt":"2020-02-23T13:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adelaideprivatewealth.com.au\/uncategorised\/5-tactics-for-handling-difficult-customers\/"},"modified":"2020-02-24T00:01:31","modified_gmt":"2020-02-23T13:31:31","slug":"5-tactics-for-handling-difficult-customers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adelaideprivatewealth.com.au\/5-tactics-for-handling-difficult-customers\/","title":{"rendered":"5 tactics for handling difficult customers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

As someone working in the professional services arena, your success relies heavily on your relationships with clients.<\/p>\n

You must build amicable and supportive bonds that lead to your customers re-hiring you and recommending you to their contacts.<\/p>\n

However, sometimes problems occur with these relationships, and customers become difficult to work with.<\/p>\n

They might start ignoring your communications, not paying bills, being rude, or badmouthing you publicly.<\/p>\n

If this happens, it may be tempting to part ways, but it\u2019s usually better to turn things around if possible.<\/p>\n

Here are ways to handle testing customers when the situation arises.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Listen<\/h3>\n

You won\u2019t be able to solve a thing until you work out why your client is acting differently. To do this, listen closely to what they say.<\/p>\n

Engage in active listening, whereby you repeat back to people what you feel you\u2019ve understood from their words.<\/p>\n

Doing this reduces the risk of misunderstandings and makes it easier to tell where frustrations stem from.<\/p>\n

Plus, by showing you\u2019re carefully listening to their concerns, customers will feel heard.<\/p>\n

Much of the time, this is enough to make a difference to their behaviour.<\/p>\n

Stay calm<\/h3>\n

When taking in the problem(s) a client has, the information you hear can be hard to handle.<\/p>\n

This is particularly so when people vent in frustration and seem to be attacking you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also upsetting when customers have a problem with the quality of your work or some other factor that feels related to who you are as a person.<\/p>\n

No matter what\u2019s causing your clients to be difficult, though, stay calm. Don\u2019t react emotionally to their feedback and say or do things you regret.<\/p>\n

Take deep breaths, and ask for time to consider their words if you feel like you need to walk away to collect yourself.<\/p>\n

Finding a resolution is more likely when you always act professionally. You\u2019ll keep people on side and won\u2019t give them ammunition to use to talk about you negatively elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Acknowledge your customers\u2019 issues<\/h3>\n

Always acknowledge customer concerns, too. When you mention, either verbally or in writing, that you understand someone is unhappy and that things haven\u2019t proceeded how they hoped, you validate their concerns.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s natural to find this hard to do if you don\u2019t agree with the things said, but keep in mind that the problems seem real to your clients.<\/p>\n

Acknowledge this, and you should immediately find the situation calms.<\/p>\n

Try to put yourself in your client\u2019s shoes so you can see things from their perspective. Then, find a way to move forward together.<\/p>\n

Chunk problems<\/h3>\n

While sometimes you\u2019ll discover your customer is upset about a small problem you can rectify in a few minutes, other times things are more deeply rooted or complex.<\/p>\n

If a client has a wide array of issues, don\u2019t try to address everything at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cChunk\u201d things down into more manageable problems; these should then have manageable solutions.<\/p>\n

For example, the root cause of a client\u2019s problem may relate to you not understanding their business needs adequately, or it could be that they\u2019re going through a slow period in their business and don\u2019t have enough cash flow to pay you.<\/p>\n

Something that could have tipped things over the edge, though, is if you haven\u2019t been available to answer a client\u2019s calls or respond to their emails quickly enough.<\/p>\n

If so, the first step could be to give them more attention for the short term. Then they\u2019ll know you\u2019re taking their worries seriously and want to address the problem.<\/p>\n

It might help to set up a time to meet with the client to discuss what exactly they require from your services. Or, perhaps they need to hold off on services for a time to get back on track financially.<\/p>\n

Discuss, together, what types of changes they\u2019d like to make.<\/p>\n

You may need to negotiate on various terms to find the best solution for both parties, or you could find you\u2019re not the best provider for their needs after all.<\/p>\n

Either way, try to come to an agreement and move forward amicably.<\/p>\n

Boundaries<\/h3>\n

Sometimes a client is difficult not because you\u2019ve done anything real to upset or disappoint them, but because they need someone to vent external frustrations to.<\/p>\n

People going through difficult times personally, such as a relationship breakup, financial hardship, or business downturn, may become snappy, negative, impulsive, demanding, or switched off.<\/p>\n

When this is the case, it helps to put boundaries in place.<\/p>\n

For example, mention that you don\u2019t feel comfortable with the way they\u2019re talking to you, and ask them to make a change.<\/p>\n

Another idea is if you feel clients are demanding too much of your attention, delegate their queries to one of your staff members, or explain to them that you\u2019re only available at limited times.<\/p>\n

For people who don\u2019t get the hint, advise them that you\u2019ll need to charge extra for any support above and beyond the norm.<\/p>\n

In some circumstances, too, it may also be in your best interests to let that client go.<\/p>\n

Having to deal with difficult clients is not fun and can be stressful and time-consuming.<\/p>\n

But by following the steps above, you should make the process easier and more positive for yourself.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Source : MYOB<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Reproduced with the permission of MYOB. This article by\u00a0Kellie Byrnes<\/a> was originally published at\u00a0https:\/\/www.myob.com\/au\/blog\/handling-difficult-customers\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Important:<\/span>
This provides general information and hasn\u2019t taken your circumstances into account. It\u2019s important to consider your particular circumstances before deciding what\u2019s right for you. Although the information is from sources considered reliable, we do not guarantee that it is accurate or complete. You should not rely upon it and should seek qualified advice before making any investment decision. Except where liability under any statute cannot be excluded, we do not accept any liability (whether under contract, tort or otherwise) for any resulting loss or damage of the reader or any other person.<\/span><\/p>\n

Any information provided by the author detailed above is separate and external to our business and our Licensee. Neither our business nor our Licensee takes any responsibility for any action or any service provided by the author.<\/span><\/p>\n

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