Tweet

Dealing with Difficult Customers #4

Written by: Shaun Belding

Article Overview: Dealing with 'Suspicious Sally' - Customers who don't trust you. (From Shaun Belding's "Winning at Work" newsletter

Dealing with Difficult Customers #4

Have you ever had one of those customers that just doesn't quite seem to trust you? They listen to you with raised eyebrow, and don't take what you say at face value. They look for hidden agendas, and always look for the "catch." If you are a basically honest person, it can be a very unpleasant sensation. (Even if you're not an honest person, it's still unpleasant - but at least you know who to blame!)

Of all the connections we can build with our customers (as well as co-workers, bosses, employees, etc) trust is both the hardest to create, and easiest to break. Truth be told, in this day and age, a little healthy skepticism is probably a good thing. But there are some people who fear so greatly the vulnerability that comes with trust, they overcompensate by trusting virtually nothing and no-one.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for building trust. Loss of trust is founded to a large extent by personal experiences, and it is only by creating honest, positive experiences that we can build it back. There are three steps to beginning this process:

1. Acknowledge and validate her discomfort:
eg. "I understand your discomfort. I suspect I'd feel the same way if I were you."

2. Reaffirm to her that you care:
eg. "I care about how satisfied you are - and I don't want you anything you're not sure of."

3. Restate your position, then set her free:
Give her permission to walk away (those of you who are in sales - this means you too!). eg. "I really do think this is best for you because . But you really should be 100% comfortable before you make a decision."

These three steps express empathy, caring, and confidence in your position - three things that Suspicious Sally is looking for. Give it a try. You'll notice changes right away in both her body language and her attitude.

Related Articles
  Ten Key Facts About Dealing With Difficult People You Must Know
  Difficult People - General Principles
  Ten Ways To Be Better At Dealing With Difficult People
  CAN TWO SALESPEOPLE REALLY BE THAT DIFFERENT?
  Dealing with Difficult Customers

Article Tags: business, customer service, dealing with difficult customers



Related Forum Posts
Re: Two Useful Books To Help You Focus On The CLIENT - Hi David, To add to your thread, I'd like to recommend Jonathan Tisch's "Chocolates On The Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience". Tisch's book includes content on "Welcoming Customers", "The New Art of Customization", "The Challenges of Customer Diversity" and "Offering Something Extra to Your Customers" to name a few.
Re: how many hours do you spend in here per day? - Difficult to say.... I'd say I'm here an average of 30 minutes a day.... there's only five folders that I read every day... others I only read if there's some interesting post title...
How to Do Great Marketing with (Amost) No Money - I've given this presentation to CEOs many times. Now i can share it with you. But I cannot because I do not yet have 20 posts. Jeff Ogden, President Find New Customers
Young Entrepreneur in International trading - I just turned 21 last week, and I currently own a international trading company doing trades between China, Taiwan, Thailand, and west coast of US and starting out in Canada soon. Dealing with gift items and general merchandise. We are also trying to sell some of the stuff we import as retail and wholesale products on the internet and to retail venders as we do have a lot of extra pallets that gets left over from our buyers.
Depressed Entrepreneurs - Thank you for your feedback. It seems to be the weather, isolation and some unfavourable projects getting my clients down. I personally find myself feeling quite grey with the weather. So much so that I spend as little time in my Vancouver office as I need to - it so slow and depressing there for me. In any case, thank you. Perhaps this is an issue we should be more proactive about in our entrepreneur resources. Dealing with the emotional issues of entrepreneurship. Thanks Kevin for the articles. The one was the exact one I was looking for. Must of been having a blonde moment in my searches


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Is the iPad useful? One CEO tells all ....

When Living the Dream isn't enough!

Ways to Improve Your Landing Page Conversions

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.