Use conflict for better customer connections

PBN Staff

10/17/2009

It happens to the best of us. An upset client calls to complain about a product or service, and you are completely caught off guard. How do you react?
Do you fly off the handle right along with him? Or do you respond in a calm, thoughtful way that salvages and even strengthens your relationship?
Conflict is a normal part of business, and we all need to learn how to deal with it in the right way. Some clients are just plain difficult. And yes, even “easy” clients can become dissatisfied for a variety of reasons. The good news is that there are effective ways to handle conflict and resolve issues.
Here are a few tips that will help you keep your business relationships from going bad … and rescue those that have started to sour.
• Extend a peace offering. It’s easy to reach out to clients when things are going well. However, it’s all too easy to avoid them when hard feelings are present. Don’t succumb to the temptation. Proactively reaching out to your clients can squash any negativity they may feel for you.
• Don’t follow your “strike back” instincts. If an angry client calls you fuming mad, your knee-jerk reaction might be to argue. Remember, though, fighting anger with anger seldom works. No matter how tough it is, do the opposite of what you feel like doing. Take a deep breath and remain calm. And most of all, diffuse your client’s anger by immediately assuring her that you will make it right.
When confronted with an angry client, say something like, “I know we did not satisfy your needs, and I assure you that we will do better in the future. Can I offer you a free gift the next time you stop in, or a discount off your next service?” Your client may still want to fight, but you are dispelling her anger by staying calm and offering a helpful response. Just smile, take responsibility (even if you feel you haven’t done anything wrong), and offer solutions. If you are reasonable, your client will eventually come around.
• Get them to listen to you by … listening to them. Customers will listen to what you have to say if you respectfully listen to what they have to say first. Knowing that you are truly listening to their concerns can cause your customers to agree to your suggestions much more quickly.
Here are the four steps of Curious Listening, a form of active listening that will differentiate you from others:
1. Hear the essence of what your customer is saying by repeating back what you heard.
2. Ask questions so that your customer knows that you are actively seeking to understand why something is important him.
3. Make sure you aren’t acting on unsubstantiated assumptions. Confirm with the client that you have correctly understood what he is saying.
4. Listen for the “remarkable.” In every conversation you have with a client, he will say something unique and remarkable. If you listen for his “remarkable,” you will be able to come back to that later (even in a subsequent conversation) and connect with him on a different level. The “remarkable” may be something as simple as, “I’m thinking about taking an October vacation to Paris.” The key is remembering it. It shows you are really curious about what happened, how the other person feels, and what resolution was reached.
• Have a standard service protocol at the ready. Creating standards, procedures and methods of dealing with clients and servicing their needs can really help when it comes to resolving conflicts or handling a dissatisfied customer. This allows you and your employees to more easily resolve issues and deal with those impossibly and consistently difficult clients.
Start by recalling past situations. Consider how and when a difficult client became difficult. Was a resolution reached? If so, when and how? By examining how difficult clients were handled in the past, taking into account both good and bad examples, you and your staff can begin to set boundaries regarding what is and isn’t a proper way to react.
• Ask for feedback. Instead of having customers blindside you with problems, reach out to them. It’s amazing how rarely businesspeople do this – they are usually just keeping their fingers crossed that all is well. But a sincere inquiry about a client’s satisfaction is a true pathway to making a connection.
Ask them what you can do better, how you can improve. Supply them with feedback surveys so that they can anonymously share their thoughts, ensuring that they are as honest as possible. And when a problem has been solved, ask them if you handled it to their satisfaction and find out if there is anything they would like for you to have done differently.
Clients who feel a connection with you are loyal and will stay with you – sometimes forever. Dissatisfied clients not only go elsewhere, but they also tell others of their dissatisfaction.
By actively and sincerely playing a part in resolving conflicts with your clients, you are showing them that you are willing to do what it takes to make them happy. You are also turning those dissatisfied clients into delighted ones who may even become evangelists for your company. And we all know there is no marketing force more powerful than a customer who shares her delight with others. ” •

Maribeth Kuzmeski is the founder of Chicago-based Red Zone Marketing LLC, which consults to Fortune 500 firms on strategic marketing planning and business growth. She is also the author of “The Connectors: How the World’s Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life.”

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