Angry Costumers, for Sales Professional

What is your customer looking for when they call you in frustration or anger? Is it a hug? A refund? A scapegoat?

BELIEVE ME OR NOT NONE OF THE ABOVE

Use the three R’s that can help satisfy an angry customer:

REFRAME the customer’s anger. Many sales professionals wind up viewing customer anger as an attack, and respond accordingly. This is a perfectly understandable response, but it’s also ill-advised. Remember, angry customers still want your help. Understanding that anger isn’t an attack so much as it’s a cry for help is the first step toward finding a solution.

REASSURE the customer. Make it abundantly clear that you are the person who can solve their problem. That’s true whether it’s a customer with tech support issues or a senior executive who thinks your team is responsible for fumbling a multimillion dollar deal.

RESPONSIBILITY for ensuring the problem gets fixed. Taking ownership of a customer’s problem is an important promise – one you need to keep. That doesn’t mean you must cave to your buyer’s every demand. But it does mean committing to do whatever’s necessary to find a solution.

This approach signals to customers that you’re committed to doing whatever you can to fix their problem. By following through on that commitment, sales professionals go a long way toward giving angry encounters with customers a positive ending.