How To Deal With Difficult Clients

You know that moment when you want to scream but you know you can’t because the object of your frustration is right in front of you? It’s that time when you have to deal with difficult clients again.

Understandably, you would want to consider that you have to deal with a client who not only infuriates you but also wants to make you rethink your line of work.

Be it customer service, your own business, or you’re running a business for someone, you will always have to deal with clients that will be difficult to handle.

These 5 Tips Will Teach You Ways To Respond Professionally To An Annoying Work Email

‘A customer is King’ they say, but so are the people attending to them. So what do you do when you have rude, nagging, picky, and hard-to-please clients?

Learn from these 6 tips on how to deal with difficult clients.

1. Choose Your Words Carefully

This will determine the beginning and end of your deal with a client. You have to choose words that will make him or her understand. Use simple terms or relate what you are doing with general facts and terms. When you talk in your professional jargon, try to explain in layman’s terms, because misunderstanding is the beginning of a quarrel.

2. Document Your Interactions With Your Client

This is necessary, especially if you are in a continuous business relationship. If you are a makeup artist, for example, and your well-known client promises to settle her debt with you before her next appointment, document it. This will give you an advantage. It won’t become an ‘it’s your word against mine’ kind of situation. Some clients have the habit of forgetting things discussed or agreements made between you two. Make sure you document your transactions to serve as a reminder. Not everyone accepts their flaw in front of others.

3. Always Try To Keep Calm

There are always customers or clients who are spoiling for a fight, try not to get caught. If you are truly blameless, keep your cool and try to explain from an objective point of view. If you raise your voice along with you, the issue won’t be resolved with ease.

4. Better To Underpromise Than Overpromise

Some clients ask you for a mountain in their living room when they know it’s not possible. Try to avoid saying yes to those kinds of requests. It’s better to underpromise than overpromise when you can’t deliver. It’s better to exceed a low expectation than try to meet a high one. When you also underpromise, the client won’t get angry when things don’t turn out as you wish. It is left to you to prove to your difficult clients that you can do it. That way, you impress rather than disappoint.

5. Improve Your Approach With Them

Don’t use words that sound patronizing to your clients. People like it when they are being paid full attention to, so interact with them like you would a family member. If they do act rudely, they won’t lash out.

6. Avoid Them

You may need to deploy the spirit of discernment here. This should be second nature if you want to succeed in what you do. If you know you can’t handle the difficult ones, pass them on to someone who can, but you must sharpen your skills.