Running a business obviously implies coming in contact with people and transacting with clients. It does not matter whether you personally like it or not, you have to do it. You are here to sell something, engaging in monetary dealings, getting remarks on your product and else. Your clients are after all humans and the latter is a body of emotions, feelings, actions and thoughts. Since every action begets a reaction, when you are on for it to sell your product, expect a reaction from the other side, whether negative or positive.
While we always look for praise, compliments, approval and accolades, many times we encounter negative comments, frantic behaviours, anxious attitudes and unhappy faces. The way we love to receive compliments and recognition, in a similar way, we have to take the negativities in our stride, deal with them wisely and find a prompt and permanent solution. Your customers may feel cheated after buying something from you and it really becomes an emotional issue that needs to be handled with care for ensuring long term association.
So the concern here is when you come across a dissatisfied, angry or unhappy customer, what is the best thing you can do to calm him down and overcome such a situation without compromising on your reputation?
The following are some of the measures you can adopt to get going smoothly even in tough times:
1. Be calm and composed – First of all, while the customer is trying to communicate with you and tell his or her problem, you should remain calm and composed. Give them a little time to vent out. Don’t lose your temper while they are speaking. Keep your body language in coordination with the fact that you understand the problem.
2. Deal with it professionally – You should always remember that it is not you the person is shouting at or is angry with. It is the company or the product he or she is upset with and has got nothing to do with you. Hence never take the complaints personally and deal with the matter professionally.
3. Be a good listener – What the customer wants is that you hear his or her problem out and give a solution. The customer is horribly upset with something and wants somebody to listen to him or her. Hence be all ears to whatever he or she is speaking. They want you to listen to their problem.
4. Show that you care while asking questions – Ask relevant questions by first being clear on your side about what the real problem is and what does the customer want. Repeat whatever the concern of the customer is, to make sure you heard and understood him right.
