How do consultants deal with difficult clients?

You can let the customer know that you have understood their problem and that you will contact them shortly with a satisfactory solution. It's important to take some time to fully understand what's going on and to calm down your initial feelings. Take some time to understand the problem and the solution. To this end, these 12 associates of the Forbes Coaches Council share strategies that any company can use to connect and disseminate situations with a problem client.

First, try to understand the real problem at hand. Rarely is the problem what the customer says it is, and if you do a little research, you can often turn a difficult client into an advocate. However, if the customer is still difficult and you can't change them, let them go. Life is short and your company is here to serve you and your team.

Never be afraid to question any assumption or to seek answers with a customer. Saying, “Do you think this way would also work? or “couldn't this decision cause this problem? in an honest and non-aggressive way it can lead to productive conversations and fill communication gaps. One of the biggest mistakes consultants make is letting clients direct the relationship from the start. Even if you've been in business for years, you probably won't spend much time focusing on how to deal with difficult customers.

That way, instead of having to read about how to deal with difficult customers, you can look for more hands to manage your growing customer base. As a consultant, you have much more to lose if you take the slow path and get carried away by the customer's level of hostility.

Léo Poitevin
Léo Poitevin

Certified pizza specialist. Incurable food evangelist. Tv advocate. Amateur travel lover. Hardcore pizza practitioner.