Jeff Waddy’s once-furious customer finally admitted to being a “big ol’ dumb ass.” But the admission did not come without some detailed investigation on the part of the proprietor of Affordable Signs & Awards (asi/114920).
“We had taken on a new real-estate company that had a bad experience with a previous sign company,” Waddy says. “One day I had an agent call me, and he was extremely upset.” The client ranted that his order was a month late, that he had already e-mailed and left multiple phone messages, and that he had never heard back.
Waddy apologized and assured the furious man that he would take care of him. He promised he’d get back to him as soon as he found out what had happened to the order. When he got off the phone, he asked all of his employees about it, but no one knew anything.
“I called him back and said, ‘Sir, I really want to apologize. I need to start all over from scratch on your order. I am the owner – I will be handling it personally,’” he says.
The client wasn’t thrilled, but agreed. To make sure there were no further gaps in communication, Waddy gave the client his cell number and had him read back all the other contact info he had for Affordable Signs. That’s when he learned that the order hadn’t been placed with them at all, but with the previous vendor.
“Oops! His remark back to me was, ‘Well, I guess I just look like a big ol’ dumb ass, huh?’” Waddy says. We laughed, and he has been a great customer since.”
That’s a great story and funny in hindsight, but what do you do when the client is unhappy about an order your company did handle? Then, things aren’t so funny.
“I Feel Your Pain”
The first rule of thumb is to hear them out. “Then I empathize with the way they are feeling,” says Jody Ferrer, president of The Perfect Promotion LLC (asi/293518).
Evan Cummings, proprietor of Evan Cummings Promotions (asi/172351), agrees this is the best response. “I have always found that the most effective way to defuse someone’s anger – this includes personal relationships, too – is to empathize, not argue: ‘I can understand why you are angry.’ Or ‘If that happened to me, I’m sure I’d feel the same way.’”
Nelson Penalver, director at Logistical Outsourcing Inc. (asi/255497) took such a tack to calm a furious client who was arguing with one of his sales reps. He stepped in, introduced himself as the owner and invited the man into his office to talk.
“He didn’t want to, he was so pissed off,” Penalver says. “I said, ‘You know what, in your shoes, I would feel the same way.’ ‘You would?’ he said. I said, ‘Of course, I would. You paid for something. You had something in mind, and it’s not what you were expecting, so we’re going to meet your expectations, and you immediately need a credit for that. So we’re going to issue you a credit, no questions asked.’”
The client’s anger faded, and he agreed to sit down and talk. Penalver told him a story about a similar experience he’d had as a customer and how upset he had been. “I went down to his level of being angry, upset and disappointed and kept talking,” he says. “To make the story short, he not only took the product, he ordered additional quantities, and he continued to buy from us.”
Own the Problem
Lillian DeAngelo, owner of Proforma Custom Business Services (branch of asi/300094), says most salespeople want to interrupt with reasons or excuses why they may not be responsible for mistakes and miscommunications. “They will refer to the supplier as the problem. At our company, we truly partner with our vendors. We do take ownership and responsibility to rectify a problem.”
Cummings agrees that making excuses works against you. “When anger is responded to with defensiveness,” he says, “it only fuels the anger and makes the angry person feel justified.”
Exploring why a mistake happened is important, but resolving the problem should be your top priority. Jeffrey Scott Jones, president & CEO of Consolidus LLC (asi/166966) says, “It is very important to let the customer know that you are addressing their concern and that their satisfaction is of the utmost importance – that you will get back to them in a timely fashion to discuss a solution to meet their needs.”
How Bad Is It?
Dan Ahern, sales partner for Geiger Inc. (asi/202900), also cuts to the chase. “Is there time to get a substituted item there?” he’ll ask the client. “Can we drop-ship the items to the event attendees? If there’s not time for replacement goods, can she find value in keeping these at a discount? If so, will it be too painful to look at these items and be reminded of a ‘failure’? Or, is it merely a question of the items she received being a distant second choice in color, but they still have meaning?”
If the product is just the wrong color or style, he gently reminds his client that the recipients will never know the difference. “Often the client forgets that the recipients had no idea of what they were getting,” he says. “I try to diplomatically ask, ‘Sounds like everyone knew they were getting a purple USB, huh?’ This allows the client to think about who is more disappointed: her recipients or her and her alone.”
If it’s the buyer’s boss or clients who will be disappointed, Ahern tells the buyer he will do all he can to deflect the blame. “Can I send a letter or e-mail to the intended recipients and direct their frustration away from my client and back to me?” he asks. “Even if it’s my client’s fault, offering to take the heat has never meant that I jeopardize potential business from her clients. If I make her look good, I know that she’ll remember that.”
An Offer They Can’t Refuse
A common strategy is to ask an angry client what they want you to do for them. “I will usually ask them what would help them to feel satisfied,” says Jeanne Schwass, proprietor of JBS Promotions (asi/232303). “Often, they aren’t looking for a refund, just a discount.”
Another strategy is to have a standard offer you make when a given problem arises. “When a customer is unhappy with the product, replace it immediately, and show no hesitation,” says Louis Feraca, president of US Logoworks (asi/348098). “If it was for an event that will be missed, give a free order on top of replacement. This gives them a reason to let you run another order before they go elsewhere.”
For a more minor mistake, Feraca will apologize and offer a discount that matches his profit on the order. “I’ll tell them that I am ‘working for free’ on that order and on the next one, as well – again, giving a good reason for me to handle at least one new order while showing appropriate concern and remorse for the current one.”
Jamie Whitman, president of Crown Print Solutions LLC (asi/172065), says she never shows any blame toward the client, and if it’s her company’s fault, she works quickly to resolve it. “I have at times followed up with an apology gift,” she adds. “If it is an embroidery client that has decided to leave us, I will provide them with their .dst files, their stitch-outs and the name of another vendor that may help them better than we did.”
When the supplier is at fault, talk to them about making things right. “In most cases, we’ve found ASI member companies do want to ‘make it right’ with just a few being less than cooperative,” says Laurie Wolfe, president of Signature Premium Ideas (asi/326637).
An Ounce of Prevention
Even better than defusing a nasty situation is to avoid one in the first place. That’s why it’s important to learn from mistakes. “Learn and set boundaries where that should not happen again,” Waddy says. “Example: Poor communications – maybe the customer did not sign off on a proof. No other jobs are completed without a signed approval by the customer.”
Another preventative measure is to tell the client upfront of any problem you discover, especially if you can offer consolation. “If you know before they do, call them,” says Mike Atwood, owner of Ace Promotion & Specialties (asi/103508). “It is always better for them to hear from you, rather than finding out on their own.”
If you have employees, make sure they’re prepared to deal with problems, too. “All of our people are empowered to handle situations on the spot,” says Mark Ziskind, chief operating officer at CSE (asi/155807). “In addition, our in-house services, combined with strong supplier relationships as a founding member of the Legacy Buying Group, allow us to perform ‘miracles’ when situations arise.”
Atwood says the best way to avoid angry customers is to ensure they know you are detailed, accurate and on top of things. “Most customers realize that things can go wrong,” he says. “If they know you will go the extra mile, they will trust that you have their best interests in mind.”
You might even look at an angry client as an opportunity to show what you’re really made of . “Anybody can look good when everything goes well,” Feraca says, “but it is the angry customer that offers us an opportunity to show real character and commitment to excellence.”
Jen Zorger is senior associate editor of Advantages.