I think some people are born to complain. We've all been acquainted, or at least come in contact, with this type of personality at some point in our lives.
It seems that if the person is not registering a complaint, he's out of character. It's sad because we all tire of this constant criticism and negative attitude, even though we may be good friends with the person.
But this type of personality can be damaging to a small business in a number of ways.
First, and maybe foremost, dealing with complainers and critics takes valuable time for the business owner. Trying to satisfy this kind of customer is almost a losing battle. He will drain your strength and energy and cause you to deal with his many demands (which take excessive time) even though you have tried to be reasonable and fair.
If the complaining is done in a public setting, like on a forum at your web site or in a group discussion somewhere, the negative comments can lead to other prospects questioning your business or product.
Often the critic will ask for his money back, or more. So the action you take may be that you end up reversing a sale or with a chargeback to your credit card merchant account.
Some businesses refuse to deal with difficult customers. They simply cut them loose from all business ties (like mailing lists, customer registrations, member accounts and future promotions). They say it's not worth the added time and pain that trying to keep these people happy will take.
I would suggest that cutting them off ought to be the last resort. Because if you can turn a complainer into a friend, you may have the greatest testimonial spreader you could ever imagine. These folks tend to be vocal and social in everything they do.
What better testimonial could there be for your business than to tell the before and after story of a detractor that has been converted to a disciple of your business? And it will come across as truthful and hard-hitting if the story is told by the complainer himself?
How do you turn a critic into a friend? It's simple: you address all his complaints to his satisfaction. It may mean that you swallow a little pride and the usual competitiveness you might feel inside and give in to his views or demands. You may have to return money to him. You may have to admit that he's right, even though he's not. Remember, the customer is always right . . . or so they say!
Often, it's the business owner's willingness to give some personal attention and personal customer service that wins the complainer over. You may not be able to solve his problem, but the fact that you tried and made an effort to help the customer is sometimes enough to stop the complaining.
So the next time you have to deal with a complaining personality type that could be disruptive to your business, try to be extra nice and over-assist in solving the dispute. And be sure to try to offer some incentive to get a testimonial out of the person while the issue and resolution is still fresh in his mind.
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Post#248 |
