What do you do when your client gets mad at you? How do you handle this? An angry client can be one of the biggest time and energy drains on a sales person.
What you should specifically do will obviously depend on what the client is angry about. Sometimes our clients have a legitimate reason to be angry, such as when we screw up. Other times clients get unreasonably upset because they have different expectations about your business relationship.
In either case, your objective should be to make the client happy again (unless your client is so unreasonable that you need to let them go).
The first step towards converting an angry client to a happy one is to get in rapport with your client while he is angry.
This approach may sound a little weird to you. It works though, and you'll realize its true once you reflect upon your own experiences with anger. Ever been mad at a company, or another person, or a politician for example? When you were angry, how did you feel when you spoke to someone who didn't share your anger? You felt misunderstood, maybe even to the point where you didn't want to be around them, right?
Now think about how you felt when you encountered someone who shared you anger. You felt understood and wanted to be around this person more, didn't you?
© 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.
People fundamentally want to be around others who are like themselves. We seek this all the time in all of our dealings with others. And when our mood change, we often want to be around people who are experiencing the same thing.
So then, how do you get in rapport with an angry client?
The simplest and fastest way is to match their mood, while being careful not to match the content of what they are saying. You do this by getting yourself into an emotional state similar to the client. This may be anger, frustration, or whatever word you think best describes their mood. The word label doesn't really matter. You can observe the client's mood, and you know how to create a similar feeling inside of yourself whatever the name.
Remember I also said not to match the content of what the client is saying. This is very important. In other words, you don't want to say nasty things to your client just to match them. Yes this will get you into a similar mood as them, and yes you will be in rapport. But only briefly as you watch their anger skyrocket out of control.
Instead what you want to do is say something to let them know that you are going to try rectify the situation that caused the anger. You tell them something like this:
"Jack, I know you are upset. I am upset that this situation has gotten you upset. I am going to get to work right away on..."
And remember to say this from a mood that matches their anger or frustration. Don't be all nice and comforting in your tone of voice. If you do, you'll just make them madder because they won't feel understood.
Mood matching is something you do often with friends, family and many prospects already. You just do it so automatically that you don't always notice it. By choosing to match someone, you give yourself greater influence with your clients and prospects. By matching moods and getting in rapport with an angry client, you will have greater influence over the future of the relationship.
Shamus Brown is a Professional Sales Coach and former high-tech sales pro who began his career selling for IBM. Shamus has written more than 50 articles on selling and is the creator of the popular Persuasive Selling Skills CD Audio Program. You can read more of Shamus Brown's sales tips at http://Sales-Tips.industrialEGO.com/ and you can learn more about his persuasive sales skills training at http://www.Persuasive-Sales-Skills.com/
Winning Customer ExperiencesMuch research has been done on what the... Read More
Millions of people, just like you, end up with a... Read More
Every customer you have is a word-of-mouth advertiser for you.... Read More
There is a battle in Call Centers. The teams are... Read More
The best way to explain this concept is to tell... Read More
Today, there are situations when we actually add a "middle... Read More
Customer Service is a blessing and a curse; a blessing... Read More
Is the special treatment you designed specifically to keep customers... Read More
Why is it that Microsoft wants you to buy its... Read More
With the growing number of people in every business sector,... Read More
Businesses that fail, often forget to seek out the customer... Read More
Do you have good customer service? Even for your free... Read More
In this day of terrible customer service, it should come... Read More
Is customer service a lost art? Before you answer that... Read More
If you are up to your ears in a stressful... Read More
One of the most popular questions asked in online business... Read More
Abstract: People buy for their reasons, not yours. This article... Read More
Good service is easy to spot and hard-to-find. Mediocre service... Read More
'A 5 percent increase in customer retention increases profits by... Read More
Corporations in every sector are spending more than ever before... Read More
Homebuyers are an interesting study. Watching people make their home... Read More
These moments come when a customer or client?1. Hears someone... Read More
I will not make sales. I will make Customers.I will... Read More
This article offers five ways to help you deal with... Read More
The defintion of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) that I favor... Read More
Nobody likes to get complaints. They make you question your... Read More
The latest report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (Michigan... Read More
Whether in a restaurant, a retail establishment, or the local... Read More
If there was a restaurant in your town that was... Read More
Our challenge as the business owner/sales person answering the telephone,... Read More
It might sound quick and simple, to say how well... Read More
Q: I'm so sick of you so-called business experts always... Read More
Do you know you can open, answer, close and report... Read More
With customers being smarter, more cost conscious, more product knowledgeable... Read More
If you want to last a long time in business... Read More
You want customers. I want customers. We all want customers.... Read More
Having been in business a number of years, I'm amazed... Read More
In any business our customers are one of our most... Read More
Do you have good customer service? Even for your free... Read More
Winning Customer ExperiencesMuch research has been done on what the... Read More
It never fails to amaze me how many companies have... Read More
As an entrepreneur, I'm always intrigued by small businesses, home-based... Read More
Five minutes into the call I knew this client was... Read More
Resistance has to do with putting up blocks that prevent... Read More
We'll be examining what makes follow up to prospects/customers so... Read More
Nobody likes to get complaints. They make you question your... Read More
You've heard it all before when it comes to stats... Read More
Corporations in every sector are spending more than ever before... Read More
Customer service is an essential component of any business. Clearly,... Read More
If you're a pet owner, you know the stress of... Read More
When was the last time you received a handwritten note... Read More
Millions of people, just like you, end up with a... Read More
You try to make your customers happy. You sincerely WANT... Read More
I'd like to start this article with a test ?What... Read More
How often has your schedule been thrown out of whack... Read More
In this day of terrible customer service, it should come... Read More
In 2002, there wasn't much interest for Kindness in business,... Read More
1. Tis the SeasonRecognize that everyone is frazzled during the... Read More
When all else fails in your company to meet the... Read More
"Society is always taken by surprise at any new example... Read More
The defintion of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) that I favor... Read More
In my day to day practice in strategic human resource... Read More
If you want to learn how to get your clients... Read More
Remember trading stamps? If you're over 40, chances are you... Read More
Service can be described as a "performance" of some kind... Read More
In the competitive world of the 20th century, we generally... Read More
Customer Service |