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You Are Here: Home - Newsletters - "Organized For A Living" - Article
Have you ever been in a situation where the customer was so unrealistic or so upset that no rational and logical response would SATISFY that person? Here are some suggestions to de-escalate such a confrontation.
ASK
Often we ASSUME that we know what the other person wants. We think we have the power of reading the other person's mind. Why not ask them what they want you to do to correct the situation? Even when you are fairly sure, it forces the other person to verbalize it, allowing you to come up with a more acceptable SOLUTION. And it also lets the customer know he or she has been heard (this is what most people want more than anything).
THE COLUMBO METHOD
Remember the detective from television who could solve any crime because he played dumb? People lower their DEFENSES if you take the position of someone who truly doesn't understand, but sincerely wants to solve the problem. Openly acknowledge your need for more information to try and understand the customer's situation and find a resolution that will make them happy.
THE JUDO METHOD
Here you reverse the pressure. Rather than trying to defend yourself or becoming upset at their accusations, you acknowledge their POSITION, and then turn it around to defuse their anger. For example, you would say, "I'm glad you brought that up. It is an issue that someone else also mentioned and we are working to correct. Would you mind if I ask some questions to help us get at the heart of the problem?" INVOLVE the customer in finding a solution.
GET PAST THE ACCUSATIONS
Often people have all their complaints and issues ready when you ask them a question. But if, each time they launch into a tirade, you ask them why that situation caused them a problem -- and how they would have like to see it go DIFFERENTLY -- they will run out of complaints, allowing you to work toward a solution.
MANAGE EXPECTATIONS
By stating what you cannot do -- and following with that up with what you CAN do to solve the problem -- you can start managing the customer's expectations. Tell the customer, "I cannot do such-and-such. But I can do such end result." The mistake most people make is ONLY telling what we cannot do. It would be similar to asking someone what time it is and hearing "it is not 11 o'clock." That didn't help me at all! Offer a solution, even if it's not the one they asked for, and you are on your way to a compromise.
THE PAPER CLIP METHOD
Learn to agree on the SMALL steps -- when dealing with a difficult customer, don't ask for too much at once. A perfect example is the customer service rep who had the most unreasonable customer in front of him. They could not agree on a resolution to the customer's complaints -- the customer wasn't willing to compromise on his position. The rep decided to get the person to cooperate with something unrelated -- asking him to hand him a paper clip from the other side of the desk, then thanking the man for his cooperation. He kept this up, with larger and more relevant requests, until they had built a sufficient RAPPORT to work toward a solution.
Martien Eerhart is a sales and management consultant for Global Gateway LLC. He can be reached at 508-432-2968. Or visit his website at welcome.to/increaseyoursales. Want to receive these kind of articles via e-mail each month? Sign up for a free subscription. Click here to return to "Organized For A Living" -- October 2004... Add this page to your Bookmarks!
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