A Mixed Bag of Personalities: How to Handle Difficult Customers

We’ve all been there as children, standing in front of the sweets counter deciding which sugary treats to buy.

My decision was always made up when I saw a big bag of jellybeans. I’d spend the next 10-15 minutes sifting through my favorite colors and eating the best ones first. Now I don’t know about you but there were always one or two flavors that didn’t quite make the cut for me.

Business is much like a packet of jellybeans. A mixed bag of personalities, some that make your day and some that you’d rather avoid where possible.

Although cutting back on sugar is the in thing at the moment, quitting on our most trying customers is just not as easy as skipping dessert. But by implementing a few of the coping mechanisms that we’ve included in this post, you’ll be able to have your cake and eat it too!

Customers are a fundamental part of any business and learning to coexist with even the most difficult of clients will ensure the longevity of your success. While most of your clients might be a pleasure to deal with there will always be a few that test your patience.

So in the spirit of challenging times, we’re sharing an infographic with tips to help you survive your next, not so pleasant, customer.

Let’s start with the coolest of characters (or at least he thinks he is). He believes beyond a shadow of a doubt that he knows everything and anything better than you ever possibly could. We call him ‘The Know-It-All Hero,’ cape and all. When it comes to this challenging personality we suggest that you just nod your head and agree.

Our next tricky customer is not a real customer at all. The ‘Ninja Snooper’ is actually a competitor in disguise. Instead of feeling annoyed by his devious acts, rejoice in the fact that the Ninja Snooper envies your service so much so, he has to spy on you!

Don’t get stuck haggling back and forth with ‘The Penny Pincher’—you know your worth and value. Stick to your guns when it comes to negotiating with this ruthless individual who will stop at nothing for a better than fair deal. You want to make sure that whatever you agree on is just as good a deal for you as it is for the customer.

Whatever patience you have, you will soon use up with ‘The Loud and Angry’ customer. Waving his hands in the air like he just don’t care, Langry (loud and angry) really knows how to create a scene. Kill them with kindness and try to relate to the client by understanding their needs.

The Website Group have some neat ideas on how to handle these customers next time they walk through your door. Continue reading below in an infographic they have created titled “Not Everyone Makes A Great Customer” (all in good fun of course):

Author: Michael Spicer is a Director at The Website Group, a UK based Digital Agency specialising in pay monthly business web design, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Social Media Marketing. Follow @thewebsitegroup on Twitter and Facebook.