Being able to manage clients in day-to-day business activities is not an easy task. In real terms, someone who has successfully managed clients in his everyday business for the number of years he has been in business should be commended or even awarded.
Fact is, in your everyday business, you’ll come across different clients with different characters. Some would be nice, some may be endurable while some can outrightly get you provoked that you may lose your temper if not properly controlled. At a time like this, it’s an opportunity to conduct yourself in a way that shows how professional you are.
In some cases, you might need to use some part of your money to complete a client’s work before the balance for their work is paid. This might require you to check through finance management companies on luminablog.com to see if it is wise to go ahead with such an arrangement or not. The following are ways you can manage a client in an uncomfortable situation
Stay calm and remain silent if possible
As someone in business, the tendency is that one or more of your customers or clients may not be satisfied with the product or service you’ve rendered. He may feel cheated, duped, or manipulated because of what he got. Angrily, he may approach you and begin to not only complain to you but also shouting and verbally abusing you. In such a situation, don’t panic. Stay calm and silent if possible. Try to calm him down.
If you must respond, use a low tone, pacify and try to subtle the situation. Even if he continues to raise his voice, don’t reply to him by raising his voice too. Ask him to give you a listening ear so you can explain things to him. If he inclines, calm the situation down and gently explain things to him why things went the way they did, and then come up with a consolation package for him and promise such will not repeat.
Harassment of whatever kind
Harassment comes in different forms. It could be physical, verbal, sexual, or any other one. Whatever form it comes, you should be able to deploy commonsensical tactics and professionalism to manage the situation. If it’s physical, refuse to return the abuse. If it’s verbal, refuse to attack back and if it’s sexual, turn down the move.
Deliver a prompt reply
As soon as a client raises an issue, make it a priority to get it sorted out. When you do this, you validate the client. It does not mean you’re accepting blame. At this point, you should try to avoid saying you’re sorry to the client. Rather than looking like you are accepting blame, you are establishing good communication from the start so that he would understand you are in and ready to handle the matter.
Offer a solution
After the situation has been calmed, whatever made him raise the scene, offer a solution. This is not about admitting you’re wrong (either way), but in finding a way to solve the problem for the client especially for the sake of future transactions. If you’re in the wrong, admit it up front, and show the client how you’ll make amends by providing better services in the future. However, if the client is in the wrong, point it out to him where he went wrong for the sake of the future.
Conclusion
If a client comes to you shouting like he has lost his senses or maybe barking like a dog, the solution is not to shout back at him. Rather apply a commonsensical approach and professionalism in dealing with the issue.