Jean L. Serio

Ask any involved owner of a thriving business whether the customer is always right. Guaranteed they'll tell you, "No. They aren't". If this comes as a shock to you, you may be new to the world of business ownership.

Bottom line:

There will be days when everyone entering your on or offline door, who emails or calls you, appears angry, frazzled, unhappy, disgruntled. Or worse, believes you've somehow "done them wrong". And they're gonna set you straight. For these customers, often the words 'good morning' are reason enough to rage and mutiny.

Like the rest of us, customers have bad hair days. Or worse. They've received some shocking family news; had a car accident; are having personal, family or financial problems. And suddenly something as simple as being overcharged pennies, or an imagined slight, throws them into a tailspin. And this may be the very day they arrive at your door, spoiling for a fight.

Why is it no business escapes these occasional customers?

Simple -- we can't control our customer's emotions.

On a teleconference recently, with two on-line gurus, both admitted they'd occasionally been insulted by customers who'd signed up for their newsletter, ezine, or came up to them at a live function. Several of these people disagreed with them, one or two took a particular statement as a personal insult or misunderstood instructions given. While most of these situations were turned positive, several were not. Those people-problems were simply deleted from their marketing lists.

Deleting someone from your marketing list is easy. What's difficult is dealing with an agitated customer when they physically walk through your business door.

More often than not, the customer's anger is fueled by their own personal circumstances. Which, generally, have nothing to do with you, your product or service. But should it, don't avoid handling it by transferring it to a less knowledgeable employee, who doesn't know the first thing about dealing with this type of situation. Eventually, when your business expands, you'll need to hand off a good deal of responsibility to others. However, in the case of an irate customer, an employee's inexperience could cause the situation to escalate, creating residual problems which could plague you for the long term.

4 Simple Steps That Work

* It may seem a no-brainer but it bears saying -- Never respond loudly or insult the customer. It's akin to throwing gasoline on a raging fire. And just as explosive. Keep your face a pleasant mask, demeanor non-threatening. No rolling of eyes, shaking your head, negative hand movements, sarcastic or snarky looks.

* Instruct employees to say calmly, from the start - "Let me get the manager (owner) to help you". That statement immediately tells the customer help is on the way. And starts to diffuse anger.

* Never, ever, tell an irate customer to "calm down". Without doubt, this is the worst statement you can make. It adds fuel to the fire and will make them angrier and harder to deal with. Always listen attentively to their problem. And don't interrupt.

* Once they've run out of steam, or run out of words, ask one of the following questions and respond with immediate action -

1. "Tell me how I can help, Mrs. (customer)".

2. "Tell me what I can do to make this work for you Mr. (customer)".

3. "Tell me what can I do (customer name) to make this right?"

4. "You're a valued customer Mrs. ......What can I do to make you happy?"

When you use the words "tell me", you're instructing the customer to take action. And when you do, they're usually thrown off balance, their anger defusing.

Be willing to respond immediately to the customer's recommendation. Or pleasantly provide them with other options. If at all possible, try not to say 'you can't' or 'we can't' do something. Instead, keep it positive saying something like, "That's a great idea Mrs. (customer). And here's another option for you". You've taken the decision making responsibility off your shoulders and empowered the customer to make the decision.

And remember, given the opportunity most customers will ask for much less than you were willing to give them to remedy the situation.

Finally, When you consistently listen to your customers, and treat them well, they learn to trust you will handle, even unique and difficult situations, with care. Thus eliminating any need for anger or defensiveness.

Jean L. Serio, Copyright 2006. Are you one of the 1.2 million women tired of working the 9-5 grind, sick of worrying about making ends meet? As you know, starting your own business still remains one of the best strategies for providing you financial freedom. Discover how to start your own business,today, with your own step-by-step Action Plan. Plus, to ensure you receive all the details FREE, and learn how you can harness the power and resourses you need to start, first sign up for your Free Newsletter "Start Up a Business Today" and receive your Bonus Report "5 Mistakes Women Make Starting Up a Business". Go to www.womensmarketingandbussinessnetwork.com "We help you make it happen!"

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