The Best Ways to Deal With a Difficult Client

“Can I speak to a manager?” If your shoulders tense and your hair stands on end when you hear these infamously-fated words, then you are not alone. As a contractor, you want every customer to receive stellar service and be satisfied with your product. As more and more people use your business services, it is inevitable that at least some will be difficult service experiences in need of special attention and recovery. When you or your employees are struggling to produce a positive experience with a hard-to-please customer, consider some of the following best ways to deal with a difficult client.

We Know It’s Hard, But Remain Calm

First up, you have to remain calm and fight the temptation to take things personally. We know this is not easy! Try to remain detached from the episode on a personal level. Difficult clients are an inescapable part of the gig that ALL businesses experience. Therefore, it is not your burden to bear personally, and doing so won’t fix it quicker or make you feel better.

Keep your breathing consistent and insist on speaking in a calm tone and manner. Project a manner of confidence that you can find a solution and please this client.

Get on the Same Side with Empathy

Even when it is not spoken, most upset or difficult customers are most importantly seeking some empathy and validation. Even if you don’t feel that the breakdown in the offending experience was your company’s fault, offer an apology for the situation if your customer is upset. Let them know that you care about how they feel about their project. You are on the same team, because you both want their experience and service to go well and exceed expectations.

Furthermore, maybe the customer is not upset but is difficult to work with or hard to please. In that case, show them empathy by putting yourself in their shoes as a client. Remind them that you know how important choosing the right vendor for a job is. Share how you take pride in your company’s work as someone who would want quality work done in or around your own home. The customer sees that you understand wanting the best from a chosen contractor. Now they can have confidence that you will meet their expectations as the project progresses.

Deal with a Difficult Client by Anticipating Client Needs with Thoughtful Solutions

Obviously, the most ideal way to deal with a difficult client is to anticipate their needs and potential problems and take care of them before an issue even arises. If you or your team begins a project with a difficult customer, look ahead into the process you will go through together. Then, anticipate potential pain points and how you can make sure things go smoothly. Address issues head on, and provide quality communication to the client so they never feel uninformed or ignored. When the client sees that you are proactive in making sure their experience with your company is stellar, their confidence in you will grow. Are you finding that the same points in your processes often cause customer issues? It may be time to assess how that process could be made better in the future.

Anticipating client needs in your financing process can be the difference between just a lead and a satisfied customer. Make financing as simple as possible for every customer by offering HFS Financial as a financing solution. Any customer can get the solutions they need with a quick 60-second application hosted on your own website. Contact us to see how HFS Financial can invigorate your customer experience. “You Dream It, We Finance It.”