Everyone in sales or customer service has undoubtedly had to deal with difficult customers. The usual course of action includes listening carefully to the problem at hand, allowing the customer to vent, always taking the high road, and treating the client with respect. And perhaps most importantly, not getting upset. You want to keep things on a professional level. Remember, none of this is personal.
Why go to such lengths? The simple answer: customer retention. As noted in a previous Church.Design business column, it is much easier and less expensive to retain a customer than to find a new one.
You want to keep things on a professional level. Remember, none of this is personal.
In my case, two circumstances come to mind:
First up, a major sound company in Ottawa ordered a 50-channel custom snake system and insisted on using the hermaphroditic Whirlwind multipin connector as opposed to the Veam connectors we had suggested. Although the Mass connector is perfectly fine, we preferred the Veam as it has larger, more robust pins. Against our recommendation, the client (who is always right!) supplied us with the Whirlwind Mass connectors. When the client received the snake, he noticed clicking and popping when 48V phantom power was turned on. We had never encountered such a problem. So, we had the client return the snake to us at our cost so that we could investigate. We spent days going through the thousands of solder joints and could not find a problem. We then hired the top electronic engineer in town to see if he could discover the problem and as it turned out that the nickel-silver plating on the Mass connector contacts were defective. This meant getting replacements from Whirlwind and a complete rewiring of the snake. Even though the customer supplied the faulty connectors, we repaired it at our cost and then paid to have the snake shipped back. Needless to say, we lost a ton of money on the sale. And even though we did everything in our power to make him happy, the client was so upset with us that he refused to do business with us for several years. I took the high road. Every time I would be back in Ottawa, I would make a point of visiting, even though I could not get any business.
I listened carefully to make sure I understood the problem and then did whatever it took to make good. Eventually, they started to buy from us again, and today they are a solid client that buys on a regular basis.
What did I learn? Even though we lost money and the client was at fault, I ate the cost to repair his snake and treated the client with respect. I never took their adversarial position personally. Instead, I listened carefully to make sure I understood the problem and then did whatever it took to make good. Eventually, they started to buy from us again, and today they are a solid client that buys on a regular basis.
Second up, a situation where the client was being totally unreasonable. I was working at Steve’s Music store in Montreal and a guy comes in asking to check out a Martin acoustic guitar. There were a couple of Martins hanging on hooks and brought them down for him to try. He said these guitars were no good and asked if we had any others. Even though the guy could hardly play, I went the extra yard to help him find a guitar that would suit him. I asked the warehouse to bring down four more Martins for him to try. With six guitars to chose from, he still was unhappy, saying they were all crap. I knew that we had the most extensive Martin selection in town and out of frustration, told the customer that he did not know what a good guitar was and to leave the store. To my total surprise, he came back two weeks later and purchased the first guitar off the hook.
What did I learn? Sometimes, you must hold your ground. If you know you are right and the customer is completely out of line, then state your case. Again, treat the customer with respect and stay cool. I could have done better, but in the end, it all turned out OK.
Sometimes, you must hold your ground ... Again, treat the customer with respect and stay cool.
More often than not, a problem takes time to fix. For instance, a client may have a problem with a particular piece of gear that you supplied, yet you need the factory to provide answers or a replacement because it may be beyond your control or expertise. This is where it is critical to stay in touch. A quick note or phone message to let the client know that you are following up on their behalf goes a long way toward building customer confidence. And with this, be honest. Don’t pretend you know or have an answer. Smart people see right through these acts, which are a sure-fire way of lessening confidence in you and your firm. In the end, relationships are and will always be based on honesty, integrity, and trust.
