There will always be pushy and rude clients out there, so as business owners we have to put a manual of sorts together over time on how to deal with people in the tricky situations that arise. Practice being firm. You don’t have to be rude to be firm, but don’t be a push-over. Work on that poker face that I mentioned in the previous post. Not every single client out there is going to be worth your time. Ten quality clients can be more valuable than 50 pushy, rude clients.
Be friendly, but firm and never ever lose your composure
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It is hard to be friends with clients, because there are inevitably a number of strings attached in the relationship that makes it hard to navigate when to be friendly and when to be firm. One thing is for sure though, you must never lose your composure, no matter how rude or pushy a client can become. If you lose your composure you lose your ground in the argument. Remember, an argument does not need to be hostile, one can actually have a peaceful argument, in fact you should see it as a debate. We all need to change our mind sets from engaging in argumentative behaviour to rather having meaningful debates. Even if the other party does not follow suit, we must always take the high road. It always impresses me how the one that maintains composure in an argument always seems like the one that has the upper hand.
At the same time you need to know when to step back and take ownership of a situation that might be your fault or the company's fault. In that case you should have a few ground rules of what you could do in that situation. Perhaps you can afford a 10% discount on the service offering or extend a discount on the next service or product. If the error caused the client to lose a serious amount of money you might have to take the knock and reimburse the client. Remember, though, that even in the toughest situations there is always room for negotiation.
Building and managing effective business relationships – a handy tip
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Something that works quite well for me, personally, is to separate myself from the company. Even though I practically am the company, does not mean that I can’t separate myself from it like I would in relationships with my friends or family. I would say things to clients like: “Well, I do see your point, but I don’t think it would be fair on the company if we went that route, especially since these limitations were agreed upon from the beginning.” See what I did there? I sided with the client in a way, showed my understanding, but explained that the company, being its own entity, might suffer if we went in a specific route that is actually against the company’s rules. Saying things in that manner shows the client that I am as much responsible for adhering to the company’s rules as he/she is and I only want what's fair for everyone involved, including the company. It is an effective way to keep my relationship friendly with the client, but be firm at the same time.
Delegate and step in only when necessary
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If your business has grown to the point where you do have enough staff under you I would highly recommend delegating client relationships to your subordinates. I like to cultivate the relationship with a new, prospective client and then gradually hand the client over to an employee. I have never had one client complain about this to me. In fact, they appreciate it since they know that I am very busy and they also just want to get things done as fast as possible. Make sure that things move fast and smooth though, check up on the situation from afar and intervene if there are any bigger issues that need to be dealt with.
If you haven’t read the first part of this series you can do so here.
Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions in the comments below, I am always willing to help where I can.
I hope you have found this information helpful and informative.
Sincerely, @BegToDiffer