18th Apr, 2008

Customer Service - Wacky Client Management

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How to deal with a customer who places undo demands on your time and abilities…

Some days I want to turn off the phone. I’ve had more than one day of dealing with ditzy customers who ask more than they should, and feel as if they have a right to ask. Excuse me… This is my time!

You’ve probably had one or two of these delightful customers walk into your business. They come in with a big cheesy smile requesting your time, innocently enough, the first time. You grant their requests, visualizing better days to come, because they’re just so pleasant. The second time you see them coming, you do their bidding and smile back, knowing that you’re building a raport that can’t be beat! It’s going to pay you back in the long run.

Then they appear on the horizon the third time. You begin to see the distant motives, through that cheesy grin, you see only a give me attitude. The person is BRILLIANT! They actually have talent you’ve dreamed of, and could be offering a lot to society in general. But the victimology behind their cheesy grin is a glaring reality. You dodge the visit on your way out the door to a perceived emergency, only to find them waiting when you return.

When they appear for the forth time, you gasp in frustration and answer their questions fast, because you know they’ll be back, again and again, until you do. You may even avoid by referring them to someone else. It won’t work, they’ve found a sucker and they’ll be back.

The fifth time this customer appears, you know you’ve got a problem. But you’re beyond knowing what to do with it. The boundaries have been breeched. You’ve already given them your services, they don’t have a clue that you’re working for PAY, you actually have benefited from this customer and you feel guilty turning them down. They’ve given you numerous recommendations. But you resent their presence in your life, because they just seem so needy and demanding.

Relax.

You do have a solution in your hands.

A heart-to-heart talk will help. But honestly, you’re going to be the giver for the rest of the relationship. They gave you just enough to get you moving their direction and they’ll keep you moving in that same direction as long as they can keep you going there.

Stop batting your head against the wall and start setting boundaries.

I can help you on Tuesday, at 4 PM. Meet me at the office. Tell them up front that you only have twenty minutes (take your coffee cup and have something scheduled immediately after their appointment). When their twenty minutes is up (it really was your coffee break time) you have to go. Get up, usher this wonderful client out the door and go.

Once you’ve begun to set your boundaries again, you can actually get control of the situation and moe it back to the realm of client relationship. Victimology ceases to work on you. Resentment fades (you can spare a coffee break). And Life becomes normal again.

Learn to effectively manage your time and your clients. Customer service counts. Brand Your Market effectively with one customer at a time. http://brandyourmarket.com offers bootstrapping your way to success.

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Relax with friends after work with a novelty tie turn up the fun.

Posted by: Jason Rakowski

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