Difficult and problematic for the client. Methods of working with complex, problematic clients. Basic principles for resolving conflict situations
There are no difficult students. There are inept teachers.
There are no difficult clients either. There are untrained employees.
Agree, it’s really difficult to do what you don’t know how to do. If you are forced, for example, to fly an airplane, and you have never learned how to do it, then you may get the impression that flying airplanes is extremely difficult. Or even impossible. But look at the experienced pilot who pilots the ship with his left hand, while with his right he drinks coffee and pats the stewardess on the sirloin, while telling jokes to the navigator.
When I was just learning to drive my first car, it was really difficult to cope with a powerful sports car that for some reason kept skidding all the time. I had to work hard, all my attention was focused on the road. But as soon as my friend (an excellent driver) trained me, found and corrected a couple of mistakes, I began to drive the car, easily holding the steering wheel with the fingertips of my left hand. And a week before that I rubbed a callus on right palm- I tried so hard to prevent skidding on the slippery winter road.
Difficult client? Better answer the question: “what did you do wrong?”
Let's take a look at situations that some people find difficult. And let’s look at the main mistakes that cause your sales or service to fail.
The very first thing that comes to mind is a capricious client who changes agreements several times after being dealt a blow. At the same time, he is indignant and says that it was you who changed the agreement. And he demands the money back, but then he calms down and simply asks to redo everything, and at your expense. These are nerve-wracking specialists, they are expensive, and they are rarely happy. If you follow all their crazy whims, they cost a pretty penny. The picture is completed by his greed and passionate desire to bargain - and you may We recognized such a difficult client from our database.
I'll start with good news- you don’t have to sell to every freak, sorry for being blunt. Honestly. The absolute majority of clients are normal, so why waste time on those about whom you then think “I wish I hadn’t seen you or your money.” But, unfortunately, it is very difficult for an untrained person to identify such a client in advance. What to do if you want to conduct a transaction correctly and with the least hassle, and you are not sure whether the client will throw out tricks?
The first rule is to formalize all agreements in writing. Do not write anything in them that you are not sure about. Non-professionals often fall for this bait, in anticipation fast money, which ultimately often results in financial losses.
Rule two is not to promise too much. Never agree to conditions that are unfavorable to your company or that are contrary to organizational policy, in the hope that it will “succeed.” It won't carry through.
Remember one of the humorous “Murphy’s laws”: “If anything can go wrong, it will certainly go wrong”? This is how it usually happens.
I perfectly understand the excitement before a deal, especially a large one, when everything is already “smooth.” Well, a little more! And everything will be in chocolate!!! And my thoughts are already on new purchases, vacations in warm countries... And you can’t get rid of these thoughts...
Cool down and here's why. I will give you several laws formulated by L. Ron Hubbard that relate to the technology of working with clients. If these laws are not followed, clients become difficult. The first law goes like this:
You really, REALLY, REALLY want something - and you don’t get it. And some people just have it. And you think - oh, he can’t even manage this properly! So I would...
And then you think - well, to hell with it! Tired of it. I don't need this. And you stop wishing. Oops, it appears to you. I know many have had similar experiences. Training participants constantly tell me their own cases of observing this phenomenon.
There is a technically accurate description of why this happens, which I will not give in this article so as not to go too far astray. Usually, I talk about this at my trainings. I'll just give you an example.
Here is a guy standing and wants to kiss a girl. Is he kissing her at this moment? No, he just wants it. When he already kisses her, he doesn’t want to - he just acts. These are different things - wanting to have something and doing something. Remember the joke? “Yesterday I lay, lay on the sofa, looked at the ceiling - nothing came of it... - What, did you want to fall asleep? - No, get married...”
As soon as you begin to passionately desire to close a deal, especially with a “difficult client,” you practically lose all chances of success. Work calmly and treat people with interest. When you are simply interested in people's affairs without selfish thoughts, you have no room left for "desire."
At this moment, something that terribly hinders the seller often appears - fear of loss.
Admit it, has it happened lately that you were afraid of losing any important client? Or just a client, since “every client is important”?
Here is another law that I read from L. Ron Hubbard. This is a fairly simple observation that can help you improve your effectiveness when dealing with difficult clients. Observation is this - the ability to have something is higher than the ability to lose it.
It seems simple. Obviously, it is easier to lose than to have. Just look at some of the “majors” - daddy's boys who do not earn money and do not create a business, but simply receive money from their parents and waste their lives. The vast majority of these comrades have money slipping through their fingers; they are not able to manage it wisely. But they can lose.
By “having” I mean the ability to achieve something. Continue to strive for something, despite obstacles. To receive something thanks to your intention.
What follows from this observation? If a person is not even able to lose, he will definitely not be able to have. Again. It's easier to lose than to have. Therefore, before you can have anything at will, you must be able to calmly lose it. Is it logical?
Can you calmly lose a client and it won’t cause you any worries? If yes, then you will be able to have as many clients as you like.
Let's take this example. The wife comes home and tells her husband: “I fell in love with someone else, I’m leaving.” What is a typical husband's reaction? Hysteria and scandal, isn't it? Or tears and apathy, which is even worse. In all these cases, he does not even have a chance to change the situation. But if she sees that her husband is absolutely calm and says, smiling: “Okay dear, goodbye. Leave the key on the nightstand? He seems to be heartless, but this is the only chance for him to engage in dialogue and resolve the situation. Even if he does not solve this situation, with such an attitude, he will find himself another wife without any problems. He is able to “have” a wife (pardon the pun) because he is capable of losing her.
Women sometimes don't like this example; they get an unpleasant feeling from it. If a woman is reading this article, then I meant that the husband is trying to leave, but the wife remains calm. Yes, that's exactly what I meant.
Here's how it applies to sales. If you are a seller who has not had enough sales for some time, choose from your contacts one with whom the deal has been dragging on for too long and there is no end in sight. Call him and tell him that your negotiations have taken too long, that you cannot afford it, so you have decided to end your relationship with him. This is not a sales gimmick - really lose it. Scary? Then do it all the more. That's why.
Do you personally like to buy from a seller who is confident in himself, his company and his product? Probably yes. He gives you confidence that your choice is right, you feel that the situation is under control of a professional.
Can absolute confidence and fear be present in a person at the same moment? Obviously, no. And the fear of losing a client is fear, even if it is carefully hidden under the guise of “professional training.”
Leaders often ask me how to increase the confidence of their salespeople. One way (there are many, but this one works very well) is to teach them to lose clients by making them lose several. And then show them where to get the rest. This is simply a listing of the lines of communication through which new customers are acquired. Internet, advertising, exhibitions, directories, databases, recommendations from other clients. And all the other ways that were successful for you.
Let the salesman call the client and refuse one after another until he is no longer serious and afraid about it. And then you will see how the child turns into a soldier.
You will also see another fantastic thing. Its sales level will then increase in the same week.
For me, this is far from a theory, I did it myself, and forced my sellers to do it. When I was in the HVAC business, air conditioner and heater salespeople at retail outlets who had low sales were ordered to do a “no sale,” that is, turn away a customer even if they wanted to buy. It's like in American army- a pilot is more valuable than an airplane.
One salesperson who has become more confident is worth several lost customers, as he will bring in tens of times more.
Some salespeople are willing to lose an insignificant client, but break out into an icy sweat at the thought of losing a strategically important client. Such a person will be able to have only minor clients. And difficult clients.
And further. The more difficult a client is to communicate, the more he dislikes “typical salespeople” who speak in cliches and memorized phrases. The ability to communicate casually, while maintaining manners and politeness, is the key to the soul of a “difficult” client who is mortally fed up with people’s annoying attempts to sell him something.Many view important corporate customers as “difficult.” This also comes from ignorance of some key principles. When selling something large, such as equipment, to a corporate customer, you need to sell not to one person, but to four. That's who these four are.
The first one is the one who buys. This could be a supplier, manager or department head. He directly contacts suppliers and conducts the transaction. He does not make the decision, but he influences the decision. The second is the one who will use your product, the “user”. If you sell equipment for production, this could be the production manager or chief technologist. The third is the one who pays the money. This is the CEO or CFO, or someone at a similar level. And the fourth one we call “coach”, “teacher” or “guru”. This is someone whose opinion is listened to by decision makers. Uncle Vasya, a mechanic who has been working at the company for 20 years, Chief Engineer, whom everyone considers a genius, a system administrator or the head of the sales department - it doesn’t matter. You won't know who the "guru" is until you do some research.
Many of my clients only work with the person who buys. At most, they understand that it would be nice to contact the person who makes the payment decision, but they do not always see ways to reach him. If they had found the other two and sold them, then the chances of meeting the first person and influencing him would have increased many times over. When you work with all four, a corporate order first becomes “difficult” (from “impossible”), and then “easy” as you gain experience. This technique also allows you to reduce the risk of being drawn into “tough” negotiations. And this will not be a difficult client.
I have given only some principles that allow us to transfer a “difficult” client to the easy category. There are many, many more of these techniques than the length of this article allows. I do not have a goal to “teach someone” or “educate someone.” The purpose of this text is to convey the idea that knowing the technology to get out of any situation immediately makes the situation easy to solve.
The final good news is that there is no situation that technology cannot solve. There are people who do not know these technologies. There are also those who, for some personal reasons, try to convince others that technology does not exist. Don't trust them.
Working with a difficult client is difficult. That’s why such a client is called “difficult,” because most managers have already suffered enough from him and pass him on to newcomers. Of course, no one will like the fact that the client can simply “change his mind” after agreeing on the project or constantly demand a discount on services. He is constantly dissatisfied with your work, hurls threats at you, threatens to leave for a competing company, delays payments... Do you recognize it?
Working with such a client is full of stress and surprises and requires enormous patience and the ability to control oneself. IN in this case To continue cooperation or to interrupt it is decided by the most banal means - money. If a client does not bring you enough profit for which you are willing to tolerate him, free him from your presence and finally part with him! If the income from working with him is high, you will have to look for compromises.The following will help you rules for dealing with difficult clients:
- all agreements must be drawn up on paper. No verbal agreements. This way you can protect yourself from rash decisions and changes in the client’s mood. Documents will save you in controversial issues, will become evidence in conflicts. Do not hesitate to draw up minutes of meetings, contracts, additions to contracts - all these are your weapons when working with a difficult supplier or buyer.
- don't promise something you're not sure about. You must be confident that you will fulfill your obligations. If you doubt something, tell it to the client - never count on “maybe”. Otherwise, in case of any force majeure, they will ask you. Do you need it?
- try not to “want too much” to close the deal. When a person really needs something, he usually doesn’t get it. With your strong desire and impatience, you can attract failures, minor problems and inaccuracies. What then will help you? Composure, professionalism, friendliness, responsibility. Be more restrained: “if there is a deal, fine, if there is no deal, we will continue to work.”
- don't be afraid to lose a client. There is a saying: “If you lose nothing, you gain nothing.” Why don't you lose another problematic client and gain a lot of free time to find a new one? You should never be afraid of losing something or losing someone. Otherwise, fear will drive self-confidence out of you. And self-confidence will attract many new clients who respect you as a professional.
- work outside the box. Do your job differently than others. This approach is especially appreciated by difficult clients. You shouldn’t memorize phrases and sales scripts—invent them yourself. Experiment. Try, analyze and try again. Practice. Observe the client's reaction.
- be polite, observe etiquette. No matter how difficult the client may be, always be extremely polite and tactful with him. Don't be afraid of the rich and famous people- respect them - they have achieved a lot. Behave with them simply and openly, communicate casually and never ingratiate yourself - always be on an equal footing.
At the end of the article we have placed training on the technology of working with real difficult clients. Very useful for those who often have to work with them.
If you have to interact with clients in the process of work, you need to be prepared for the fact that sooner or later you will come across difficult clients. Working with them is difficult psychologically, but it is impossible not to work - refusing to work can sometimes lead to the loss of not only money, but also reputation. How to work with difficult clients?
In fact, everyone has their own difficult clients. Based on which clients you consider “difficult,” you can determine what you need to work on. Some people succumb to rudeness and aggression, while others are at a loss when they need to help an indecisive client make a choice. Plus, every type of business has its difficult clients, and this “difficulty” is determined precisely by its specifics.
But while difficult clients come in many different forms, there are a few general rules communication with such clients. When communicating with a client, you need to maintain a neutral-friendly tone, no matter in what tone they address you. This can be difficult, especially if the client is yelling at you or simply acting as if he is a king and you are a lackey. But still try not to lose your temper; restraint is one of the indicators of professionalism.
It is very important to maintain a golden mean here. Excessive restraint may be perceived by the client as indifference: He will think that you don't care about him. And goodwill does not necessarily have to be accompanied by a smile: often difficult clients perceive a smile as a mockery, thinking that you are laughing at them. The ideal strategy for dealing with difficult clients is developed with experience.
A potential conflict with a client must be suppressed at the moment of its inception. Calm down and understand one thing: you and the client are not on the same page different sides barricades. There is a problem that you need to solve together by reaching a consensus. Difficult clients are not your enemy; they are your potential allies that you need to win over to your side. You need to understand this yourself and make it clear to the client.
In a conversation, be sure to agree with the sound thoughts that the client expresses, but at the same time gently guide the conversation in the direction you need. If you need to object to a client, do not do it directly. First agree, and only then object: “I agree with you as far as..., however, I want to note that...”. Put yourself in the client's shoes, understand his needs and build a communication strategy based on this. Remember: your job is to help the client, no matter what.
What should you never do when dealing with difficult clients?
- act like clients, responding to rudeness with rudeness;
- try to convince the client “in one fell swoop”: he will not agree with you on principle;
- try to put the client in his place, demonstrating his superiority;
- automatically accept blame: perhaps you are not to blame for anything;
- automatically blame the client: perhaps he is not to blame for anything;
- try to “spin” the client into sympathy.
Sometimes it actually turns out that Difficult clients are just an excuse for the unprofessionalism of those who work with them. Therefore, it is very important to be able to look at yourself from the outside: why do you experience difficulties in working with this or that type of client? Perhaps, having dealt with your own problems, you will suddenly find out that there are much fewer difficult clients.
If you work with clients, you need to accept the fact that difficult clients are an indispensable attribute of your professional activity. Just don’t take interactions with them to heart and don’t give in to personal likes and dislikes. Your job is to successfully resolve a professional issue, not to please the client. After all, you can't please everyone.
But if you successfully help a difficult client, you will be rewarded handsomely: sometimes the most loyal repeat customers are former difficult customers who gained confidence in the seller because he did not succumb to provocations and was able to help them.
There are some clients that are difficult for almost everyone. For example, if the client himself does not know what he wants, or his behavior is not delicate and self-possessed. In this case, it is very difficult to work with them; much more effort is required in order to achieve success. The degree of difficulty for each seller is different, it all depends on his professionalism. In other words, working with difficult clients is an indicator of problems that still need to be worked on.
Each seller as an individual may have his own difficulties, for example, not everyone likes aggressive people, some criticize, and others are generally silent. And you need to work with all clients who want to buy your product. Everything is possible if each client is perceived as a buyer, and not a separate object for the manifestation of pedagogy. There are certain most important things - the balance of relationships with clients. The principle of balance depends on the fact that the seller does not retreat, but only neutralizes the outgoing pressure from the client.
In methods of working with difficult clients, all buyers are divided into separate types:
The first type is aggressiveness, rudeness. There is no way to respond in kind to such clients, but the main thing is to remain calm, confident and not back down.
The second type is shyness, gentleness. Dealing with Difficult Clients of this type requires maximum openness, trust and support. With such clients, the most important thing is to smile, give as many details as possible, and remember that shyness may not mean compliance in all cases.
Also, there are techniques for working with difficult clients who are indecisive. Remember that hesitant does not mean soft. After all, the basis of the client’s indecision is the fear of making a mistake. Therefore, this type of client is constantly plagued by doubt. To avoid problems, when communicating with such clients, it is necessary to narrow the circle of choice to two offers; if something does not suit you, move on to the next two offers. Also, it is better not to tell the client about his indecision, because he himself knows very well about it, but on the contrary, the seller should encourage and support his client’s desire to somehow decide.
There are clients who show familiarity. That is, this type of client behaves very friendly with the sales representative, perhaps he wants to achieve certain concessions with this attitude. In this case, the seller must behave quite freely, but at the same time he must emphasize a principled and serious approach to these business issues.
Also, every seller needs to know how to deal with difficult clients who love to talk. It is always very difficult to break through the flowing waterfall of a client’s words, and the most important thing here is not to start competing with him about who can say more. The seller’s task is simply to tell, and not to convince a talkative client. It is important to involve such a client in an active acquaintance with the goods provided, because talkativeness often hides uncertainty.
The seller should also know how to work with silent clients. The most important thing here is not to give in to the temptation for the seller to talk for a long time. When the client finishes laying out one piece of information, he should ask how the client will react to such an offer. In such a situation, the main thing is to ask a lot of open-ended questions in order to try to involve the silent client in a dialogue.
There are certain techniques for dealing with difficult clients who demonstrate their competence. With such clients, it is very important to ask a lot of questions and listen carefully to them. Also, it is worth giving them compliments and simply acting as a salesperson.
Maintaining and establishing contact with difficult customers has been compared to the “behavior of water.” That is sales representative Initially, you should connect your behavior to the behavior of your client, and then simply guide the client in the right direction.
