June 25, 2007
- How to Deal With an Angry Customer
Dealing with an angry customer is never pleasant. When a customer is angry, we can feel like we've done something wrong, or that we've somehow failed. This is in relationship to the stress we feel around interacting with that customer to try and make things right.
You know the saying, "the customer is always right"? It's false. While that might work for low end retail sales or digital product sales, it doesn't really work well for higher-level professional services.
May 22, 2007
- Following Through on Following Up
One of the reasons I've been able to build my consulting business so quickly is that I'm very good at following up. I respond to every phone call within 48 hours (unsolicited sales call excepted.) You'd be surprised, but I, very often, am the first person to respond when people are seeking information. You'd be surprised at how many times people leave messages or send emails to learn more, and nobody ever gets back with them.
March 10, 2006
- Take full responsibility for mistakes.
I had an interesting experience this morning- I had scheduled an appointment with national home cleaning service to come out and give me an estimate for cleaning my house. (Yes!!!). Anyway, the appointment was set for 10:30am. I received a call from the owner of the company at 9:45am, and in her phone message, she cancelled my appointment, citing a mistake in her office as far as scheduling.
February 3, 2006
- Dealing with angry customers, part II
The second step is to find a way to show your customer that you understand.
February 1, 2006
- Dealing with angry customers, part I
First, you have to accept that you can't please everyone.
January 30, 2006
- Preventing refund requests, part III
Give the best guarantee that you could muster. Guarantees are different from refunds, of course. The former is more concerned about customer satisfaction. The latter is focused on security of investment.
January 27, 2006
- Preventing refund requests, part II
A couple more ideas on preventing refund requests: Provide lifetime updates.
January 25, 2006
- Preventing refund requests, part I
Targeting your best customers is important in making the sale. It's also important to decrease the chances of a refund request. But let's just say you get one anyway… it never feels good. Here are a few tips to keep refund requests from spiraling out of control:
March 15, 2005
- Want to keep clients longer? Have fun.
When working with your clients, its easy to get caught up in goals, outcomes, deliverables-and all of these are, of course, vitally important.
March 11, 2005
- Return calls promptly.
Ok, now it may seem really obvious, but when you're looking for new clients or customers, be sure to return calls promptly. In the past month, I've acquired several new clients- simply because I took the time to return their calls.
March 7, 2005
- Be consistent in your approach.
In order to retain clients for the long term, be consistent in your approach and interactions.
February 25, 2005
- On "bending the rules" for a customer.
Business policies are important to define the nature and scope of your professional practice. Having strong business policies makes running your business easier- for you- and clearer for your clients.
February 24, 2005
- How do you work with a picky customer?
A picky customer is one who has high standards (or a strong vision) of what s/he is looking for. S/he is likely to come in with clear, defined demands- and expect you to address them. Your best bet is to be honest, up front, and to avoid any kind of "snowballing" or evasion.
February 3, 2005
- Send birthday cards.
I like to send birthday cards to my current and former clients (usually going up to two years back). It's fun to connect with them and send good wishes for their birthdays, plus, it's a low cost, high touch way to remain in contact.
