How to manage the relationship with a difficult customer? The sales profession is above all a profession of human contact. Certain practices facilitate the commercial relationship. Do you know them ?
The sales profession is rich in anecdotes, because it is above all a profession of human contact. Its basis remains the commercial relationship made up of interactions with multiple interlocutors. Among all these interactions, some are more complex than others and require salespeople to be particularly attentive to the relationship with others. Certain commercial practices should be banned in favor of other, more effective ones. Isabelle Soubré, commercial negotiation expert, lists the top 7 best commercial practices to better manage the relationship with a difficult client.
1 – Make a proposal that meets both the needs and expectations of your client
One day, when I was a Key Accounts Sales Representative, I had just taken over a customer account and the sales team was already warning me “This buyer, even if you invite him to the best restaurants, you will see, he will remain difficult”.
However, a year later, to everyone's surprise, the relationship he and I had was very good. It must be said that we almost never had lunch together, and when we did, we went to the local bistro.
All salespeople know that the commercial product or service offer must correspond to the customer's needs, and we must not forget that this is also true for their expectations. Whether these expectations are professional, that is to say linked to company policy, or personal, that is to say arising from the motivations of the interlocutors.
In the example cited, if the buyer was difficult, it was because the commercial proposition was unsuitable for his expectations, or even his values: he did not want to be invited to dinner in great restaurants. .
The first good commercial practice therefore consists of not transforming an “easy” customer into a “difficult” customer because of an unsuitable commercial proposition. On the contrary, we must adapt to the customer's demands: in sales, personalizing your offer is a key factor for success.
2 – Adapt your behavior to the interlocutor and the situation
If the commercial offer must be personalized according to the needs and expectations of the customer, this also applies to the behavior of the salesperson, who must respond to the priorities of his interlocutors and the nature of the situation.
For example, when an interview takes place remotely by videoconference, it is common for a salesperson to connect to the meeting at the very last moment. The customer then finds himself in the waiting room waiting 5 minutes, without even knowing when his contact will be available.
Commercially speaking, this use is totally inappropriate. A customer who values punctuality may feel unwelcome or unappreciated.
3 – Listen carefully to the customer
A client can also be difficult because he or she is experiencing difficulties. However, a lack of listening has the immediate consequence of a degraded commercial relationship, due to limited dialogue and a lack of empathy for the problems encountered.
The lack of availability of a salesperson as well as their lack of responsiveness with a response time that is too long also contribute to the customer's feeling of not being taken care of or poorly supported.
On the other hand, actively listening to the customer will not only establish a constructive dialogue, but also promote the cooperation of the interlocutor towards a balanced agreement.
4 – Guarantee transparency
We know that in business, where there is distrust, there is complexity.
A salesperson must therefore avoid creating reasons to distrust his commercial proposition.
For example, by refusing to acknowledge one's errors or those of one's company when they exist, or by knowingly failing to give the customer important information about the products or services sold.
A claims processing which takes place in good conditions, respecting the commitments made beforehand, makes it possible to consolidate the commercial relationship and consequently to build customer loyalty.
5 – Resolve customer difficulties
What is more frustrating, more annoying for a customer, than a salesperson or a company that has neither anticipated nor prepared solutions to the difficulties encountered? Probably a salesperson or a company, who, once the problem is known, does not try to solve it.
If a customer makes a complaint that seems difficult to handle, the salesperson should not shy away from the problem. It should also not process it partially or even not process the complaint at all. On the contrary, you must face it and, if necessary, seek advice from your company to resolve this difficulty. There is no doubt that together the most suitable solution will be found.
6 – Manage your emotions effectively
What should you do when faced with a customer who gets angry, whose positions are intransigent, without discussion possible or who criticizes you personally?
In negotiation, when you are anxious, the risk is to limit your requests, accept lesser solutions, or even leave the negotiating table too early.
Managing your emotions well remains an important key to managing difficult customers. Faced with an uncomfortable situation, the best behavioral response is assertiveness, that is to say self-affirmation, the ability to assert oneself without damaging the relationship with others. Being assertive allows you not to behave in a way that you might later regret, for example by being aggressive or simply by submitting to the demands of your interlocutor.
7 – Resist certain customer requests
Of course, resolving customer difficulties should not be done at all costs. For example, if the customer makes a request that goes beyond what our company can accept, it must be refused unambiguously, clearly explaining the reasons for this refusal.
A salesperson must know when and how to set the limits of his company's commercial commitment. In a few words, he must know how to say no, even when faced with a difficult customer.
People who know how to say no are rather reassuring, because when they say yes, the agreement appears solid. This solidity in commercial commitment generates confidence.
Where trust is established, the commercial relationship becomes less difficult. And even more fruitful, for both parties.
