When you have a business, you inevitably have some customers who give you more trouble than others. Sometimes, you have no idea why they act the way they do. Other times, you suspect that there’s something you’re not seeing. Whatever the case may be, you’ll eventually run into a customer who makes your skin crawl. You want to give your best to everyone, but some customers make it exceedingly difficult for you to help them. Difficult customers are frustrating, to be sure. But, there are ways to deal with them that will make you a happier, more productive business owner. Read on for a guide on how to deal with difficult Etsy customers.
Be Prepared
If you’re expecting to deal with difficult customers, you should be mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared for it. As the owner of your business, it’s your job to set an example. When you’re dealing with difficult customers, you need to be prepared to stand your ground. You also need to be aware of the fact that it’s not always your job to solve a customer’s problems. Sometimes, you just have to be there to help them find solutions to the problems they’re having.
Set clear expectations
Difficult customers are often great customers who have a problem. It’s important to set expectations from the start. Tell your customers what you can do for them and what you can’t do. Tell them what their best outcome would be and then tell them how you can help them get there. If they ask how you have the right to tell them that you don’t know. You can’t help them if they don’t ask for help.
Let them vent
Some customers will want to be heard, and others will want to be left alone. If you sense that someone needs to get things off their chest, encourage them to do so. Don’t try to do the talking for them, and don’t make assumptions. Give them a safe space to talk, let them vent, and be open to the fact that they may not want to sit down with you later and hash things out.
Be proactive
In the words of the author, speaker, and entrepreneur Byron Katie, “A positive will always overcome a negative.” When you’re dealing with difficult customers, try to maintain a sense of positivity. When they start being difficult, respond calmly. Try to put yourself in their shoes and imagine how you would feel if you were dealing with a difficult person.
Offer a positive resolution
When I put myself in the shoes of my customers I always try to come up with a positive resolution in their favor. Sometimes that costs me money but I just look at it as a cost of doing business. I'd much rather have a happy customer walk away than have an uncomfortable confrontation. Think
Think of it like this, what will it take to have the customer walk away from the situation happy? In the end, it's one of two things. One, they want the product in their hands that they paid for or they want to return something for a refund. You are much better off fulfilling these needs than not. Remember when the customer walks away satisfied there is a chance they will return to purchase again. But if they walk away unhappy you can guarantee they will never be back.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many different ways to deal with difficult customers. No two situations are exactly alike, so what you do in response to a situation will depend on who you’re dealing with. The best way to deal with a difficult customer is to stay calm, address the situation head-on, and try to helpDEAL-WITH-DIFICULT- them solve the problem rather than cause more problems for yourself.
Are you interested in starting an Etsy business? Or take your Etsy business to the next level? If so then download and listen to our podcast "The Unofficial Etsy Podcast".
