Customer Service is an integral part to your business. Some days you will have easy going clients who are such a pleasure to work with and are awesome to talk to. However on other days you will have demanding clients who are a pain in the tush and make you want to pull your hair out.

Anywho…whatever the case may be, you as a business professional should maintain your composure and continue to treat clients with dignity and respect. In other words, never let clients take you off the deep end. I would like to share with you a prime example of what I’m talking about with the video below.

Here you go…

 
Welcome back.

I know by now that you are shaking your head and wondering why this party planner was so darn upset. I get the feeling that he was offended by Sheree questioning his ability to deliver on the promises he made. Also, he was clearly upset when Sheree questioned his connections and professionalism. There really is no way to excuse his behavior but there are ways that he could have avoided the entire confrontation.

“Your own happiness and the health of your business must be your first priority.” ~Karyn Greenstreet, Author of the Self Employed Success Blog

Here are 10 ways of How to Deal with Demanding Clients

1. Put It In Writing! When you are realize you are dealing with a demanding client, you have to set boundaries and enforce those boundaries at all costs. I’m sure you’ve heard of the saying, “Put it in writing!” Well, this is very true. If you have any price quotes, business plans, proposals etc…PUT IT IN WRITING. Be clear about your company policies, procedures, fees/rates, cancellation policies, hours and availability.

2. If your clients are not satisfied with the agreement then you have to ask yourself if it’s worth the business. If your client agrees to the agreement then you have to make sure you stick to the agreement, no matter what.

3. If your client becomes irate or uncooperative, you need to calmly tell your client that if he/she does not change their behavior then you will have to end the agreement. Let them know that you appreciate their business and you are trying to work with them but in a civil manner.

4. Make sure you are clear about projections and time frames. You don’t want any surprises at the end so you really need to be upfront about your client’s expectations.

5. If you are providing a service, you have to make sure you get paid upfront or in deposits according to a payment plan. Be clear about your prices.

6. In order to have effective communication, you need to make sure that all calls are by appointment only during scheduled time periods. If you answer all your emails at any time of the day, you will be stressed out and can’t focus on other clients.

7. Ask your clients about their ‘concrete’ goals so everyone can be clear on the business strategy.

8. If you realize that your clients are asking you to perform services outside the scope of the agreement, be sure you remind them of the costs associated with that request or if you think it’s unreasonable, don’t do it.

9. Educate them on your business strategy so they can be clear of what to expect.

10. Remind them of the contract/agreement.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post because I enjoyed writing it for you. If you have other ways of how to deal with demanding clients, I would love to hear from you or if you would like to comment on the video, please leave your comments below.