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Are you in a bad relationship where you can’t meet the other person’s needs? Is the relationship leaving you wondering why you deal with them at all? Have you worked out if that one customer is actually costing you money as opposed to making you money? Worse still, has the relationship become abusive? Nasty behaviour, foul language, hurtful accusations? It may sound extreme but it happens more often that you may think.
I will never agree that “the customer is always right”. It does not sit well with me at all. A lot of small business owners that I speak with feel that they have no right to let a customer go. If you wish you knew how to end a bad relationship then consider the tips below.
1) Assess the situation – has someone’s patience been pushed to the limit? This can often happen if your customer feels they have not been heard. Take the time to listen, be objective and address any issues. Have they loss confidence for some reason? If they are a new client is this just a “nurturing” period.
2) Think about your history together – if this is a long-term customer have they always been difficult or has something changed? Ask the question! You may find you have someone with more on their plate than they know how to deal with. Perhaps it is just bad timing and you are on in the firing line. Is it a workable situation? If they have always been difficult it might be time to cut the relationship right now. Leopards don’t change their spots!
3) Consider the value in keeping their relationship – would severing this relationship put your business with any other supplier or customer in jeopardy? If so, tread carefully. The relationship still needs to end, but perhaps it needs to happen with more caution.
Now you have asked yourself those questions it is time to take action! (The scary bit)
Be clear and concise – don’t even think about the old “its not you, its me” excuse. Say what you mean and mean what you say.
Stay calm – no amount of anger is going to make the situation any better. The aim is to part ways amicably.
Avoid the blame game – stick with “I” as opposed to “you”. I can’t meet your expectations is lot better than “You are a @#$! (insert your own insult here).
Remain professional – don’t leave a customer stuck in an expensive or unmanageable situation (half finished projects) unless you are willing to return any deposit they may have made.
Put your big girl/boy pants on – don’t allow a customer to talk you round. The relationship has failed for a reason. Let it go!
Be respectful – don’t blab to everyone else before you have spoken to the customer (actually, don’t blab at all). This is not an email or text situation. It requires a conversation. Put in writing the outcome of your situation after the discussion.
Don’t be nasty – I have had someone say to me “If you don’t like it, then there is the door”. That is one quick way of making a customer feel worthless. You are a better person than that.
Business relationships are no different to personal relationships (except for the exchange of money of course). If you could fulfil the needs of every man/woman that came into your life you would have married your kindergarten crush. Where is the fun in that? Don’t beat yourself up. Don’t let the anxiety of dealing with a bad client hold you back. You may find you make room for a good one to walk through the door. Plenty more fish in the sea as my nana would say!
And remember, I rarely talk about situations I have not experienced. I have had a few bad break ups in my time. I expect there will be a few more and I will need to take my own advice!
Gold Coast
Small Fish Business Coaches
Let me clarify: I am not presenting myself as someone that pulls people free from a burning building, but my colleagues and I are improving the quality of life, as a side-effect of making more money and reducing expenses for people in business. I have no doubt that you are aware that business success comes from hard work. In fact the recently blogged “formula for success” looks like this:
1) Try.
2) Review results and make changes where necessary
3) Repeat from step 1.
You may also have seen this formula:
S = A x B, where S = Success, A = Hard Work, B = Perseverance and C = Play
In tough times, and during start-up operations, this is certainly the case – but what about the times when you don’t have to ‘tighten your belt’? You may remember Alan Bond, who at the head of a $3.2 billion company and having just won the America’s Cup stating, “I really believe you only regret the things you don’t do.” He revisited this quote last year from London and added, “I should have spent more time with my family instead of deals and more deals” in addition to lamenting some poor business decisions.
Even those people that seem like they have everything under control often don’t. It also shows me the value of a work/home life that is balanced, supportive and complimentary. I know that no one sets out to work their life away, miss out on the kids growing up, putting off the holiday for another year and then suddenly finding you retired and going crazy – but it happens doesn’t it?
For many of you, your situation isn’t this grim – but how many people do you know that actually incorporate blocks of time for their life away from work into their busy schedule? Don’t fall into the trap of focusing constantly on the numbers, issues and management of the business at the expense of enjoying the best parts of your life. Albert Einstein put it this way: “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted”.
Happier people are less stressed, more productive and have a better quality of life. If you would like me (or one of my colleagues) to help you save your life, give Small Fish Business Coaching a call!
~Mik.
Business Coaching Gold Coast 