As a sales representative, dealing with tough & complicated customers is a part of your everyday job. Are you one of those who is wondering how to deal with the tough ones? Here's a complete manual on how to manage difficult customers!
One of the most effective ways to strengthen & boost the growth and sales of your business is to provide a premium level of customer service.
But, honestly, it is not that easy!
Every tough customer represents a unique challenge to overcome, and therefore, it calls for specific training & tactics to fulfil their needs & handle them with ease.
The major problem is that customers are not always happy & satisfied!
They can be really difficult to handle at times.
And it's never simple to have a relaxed & gentle conversation with difficult and sometimes furious customers.
But if you are fully aware of how to react, what to say-how, to say it, and what not to say, you might be able to build a strong connection with that customer.
The best technique here would be to realize & acknowledge your reaction, take a moment to think & pause, and choose to understand & help them on the other side.
The strategy you might be applying to respond to a tough customer totally depends on the situation; that is the reason why you must be aware of different challenging situations & the best ways to communicate with them.
If your team members desire to fine-tune their skills, there are various training resources to help maintain them in top shape and prepare them to effectively deal with all types of clients.
Also, there are several types of difficult customers, and each one of them demands a few different approaches.
Here are a few types of difficult customers mentioned below. Let's have a look at them!
5 types of difficult customers to understand
What do you mean by the perfect customer?
They are kind, they have patience in listening to what you have to say, they are clear about what their requirements are, they precisely convey their intentions, and most importantly, they are realistic! Right?
But we all know that the reality is quite different! It's hard to find the perfect customer. People can be complicated as consumers in various manners.
So, here's the list of the most common types of difficult customers you might cross paths with!
The Complainant - At the end of every task, we expect to receive feedback, and it's quite normal to receive mixed reviews from customers. However, some customers complain about everything constantly, and it can be difficult to handle them. They are the ones who can even complain about things that you cannot even control.
The Indecisive - These are the ones who are not able to make any final decision. They tend to ask tons of questions, followed by dozens of questions without even moving a step further towards making a purchase. And it doesn't even matter to them how precisely you answered. It seems quite frustrating, and a lot of time is blown. Indecisive customers fear making a mistake while purchasing; therefore, they want to know every detail about the product, such as its features, price, life cycle, deals, pros & cons, and much more.
The Well-Aware Guy - The worst cases that come after the indecisive and confused ones are those who think they are mindful enough and know everything. These customers will try to educate you about your own business, your product or your employees. They might be stubborn and try to dominate the whole conversation.
The Impatient - There are customers who don't show any signs of patience in them at all. They expect something great, but they are not ready to wait for it. They want everything right now. It doesn't matter to them if there is some procedure that needs to be followed. Also, they are not patient enough to listen to the entire conversation. If their needs are not fulfilled on time, they might get very upset.
The Bullies - This category of customers are the most difficult ones to handle; they are the ones whose stories we sometimes see on social media platforms. These customers are of aggressive nature, they can be rude, disrespectful, arrogant and even abusive. Their complaints can be out & loud. These customers might cause trouble to the newer team members, taking good advantage of their inexperience. They are the ones who need to be handled in a strategic way.
Now, you have got a summarization of different types of difficult customers, but how to handle them? Below we have mentioned seven easy ways to master the art of managing difficult customers!
7 Easy Steps That You Need To Follow
Dealing with a difficult customer has never been an easy job. However, to learn how to improve and enhance the quality of assisting customers in a better way, here are some specific strategies. Go through them thoroughly and practice it on your customers next time.
Always Listen First:
Never try to interrupt in between when a customer is trying to speak, talk over the customer or argue to prove a certain point. First, let the customer speak, even if you are aware of the fact that everything is not correct or if you can predict what they are about to say next. When you give a chance to let the customer speak, then you can understand what the exact problem is and hence, you can take this opportunity to build a good connection with the customer.
Try To Stay Calm:
You will never have control over a customer's attitude or how the customer behaves, but you have it for yourself, of course! Your non-cooperative words and attitude can switch off the entire conversation. If the customer is being abusive, don't worry. Just take a deep breath and begin again as if you didn’t hear anything before. You should remind the customer that you are there to assist them in every possible way and give them the best solution.
Show Empathy:
Try to put yourself in your customer's shoes and understand their problems & doubts. Show them that you understand and realize what their situation is! If you learn how to empathize with the problem of a customer, it will definitely help in calming them down and take the conversation ahead with some maturity.
Lower Your Voice & Speak Politely:
When you see that the customer is speaking loudly & aggressively, you don't hop into the same speaking zone. Instead, try to speak softly. Your calm & polite behaviour can create a huge impact on them. When you address the situation with a quiet & open mind and don't get affected by the customer's behaviour, you will notice that their bitterness will go away.
Never Take It Personally:
You should always talk about the problem or about your product and never take the conversation personally, even if the customer wants to. You must remember that it is your job, and the customer doesn't know you personally, he/she is just expressing their frustration at you as a company representative. Simply direct the discussion back to the problem and how you are here to help them.
Set Boundaries:
One of the best ways to conquer this type of situation is to set some boundaries when you are about to deal with difficult customers in your business. Start working on things like starting your meetings with them on time, actively listening to them, making them feel valued and acting quickly on providing solutions, which will definitely help in establishing those boundaries you want to set. By doing all these things, your customers will get to know that you respect them and that you surely are there to provide them with the best assistance.
Give A Solution:
It would be best if you simply ask the customer what they actually want. You can say — "What can I do to help you or make things better for you?". This can truly help you to get straight to the point, and also, the customer can get a sense of relief. Moreover, by strictly listening to the requirements of a customer, you can provide a suitable solution to them and can save a lot of time. This alternative is best when you are not confident about which efforts would help to ease the mind of a customer.
Conclusion
Other than gaining more information about the product, customers are always trying to accomplish something else. They have their personal work or family objectives to fulfil. As you are in the sales field, you should never forget that customers have their own lives outside of just having a conversation with you about your product & services. Everyone has their individual pressures in life, which compounds the customer's experience.
So, the bottom line is that always try to be genuine and helpful in every possible way. Whether you are answering back to a consumer’s first or third follow-up email or speaking with the customer on call, your sole objective must be to make a piece of their day good. If you follow this approach, then you will be able to be in the best role to offer some extraordinary service.
Now go, and try not to miss out!
