Prickly customers

Hard-to-please customers are a fact of life for nursery wholesalers. It seems no matter what you do, you can’t make certain “prickly” consumers happy. The best way to deal with their barbs is to calmly defuse the situation.
 
“Encounters with ‘prickly’ customers can be understood and managed,” said Rich Gallagher, author of “What to Say to a Porcupine.”
 
There are several communication techniques that can be learned and practiced by anyone in your firm. Among the most effective are reflective listening, using “staging” to deliver feedback or bad news, and using verbal cues to show respect and empathy.

Reflective listening
Reflective listening is both a way to empathize with a customer and make sure you’re on the same page. Gallagher breaks it into five steps:

• Give your undivided attention, and then respond.
• Paraphrase what the other person says before you reply.
• Share your knowledge of the situation.
• Provide active feedback.
• Summarize the action items.

Staging feedback
Here’s a common scenario: A customer is demanding better credit terms, and they simply aren’t big enough to merit them. How do you respond?
 
I’m afraid you’ll have to pay our invoice on delivery.
 
Or…
 
Let me go through the details of how we make credit decisions.
 
The second reply is a good example of “staging” your response when delivering bad news. You’re helping the customer understand why there is a problem. You’re also lowering hostility and conveying that you’re doing the best you can for the customer. “Staging” your response has three key elements:

• Introduce what you are going to say before you say it.
• Explain why you’re saying it as you are saying it.
• Empathize with the customer’s feelings after you have said it.

Showing respect and empathy
It’s impossible to separate a customer’s complaint from the feelings surrounding it—whether it’s frustration, anger or impatience.
 
It’s important for salespeople to show respect (acknowledge the problem and the agenda behind it), as well as empathy (validate the other person’s feelings).
 
When dealing with “porcupines” you have to carefully choose what you say and how you say it. Something as simple as phrase substitutions can help. Instead of “I can” use “I sure can;” or “I wish I could” instead of “I can’t.” Avoid telling a customer “This is the best I can do.” Instead say “I realize you want X, so we’re going to come as close as possible by doing Y.”
 
Gallagher also encourages salespeople to focus on what they can acknowledge and can do—however small the gesture might be. He playfully calls this the “can-can” strategy. Substitute “We don’t stock that here” with “Here is where you can probably find this.” Or use “I can give you a 20 percent discount” instead of saying “I can’t give you a refund.” Don’t say “We can’t possibly do that.” Instead say “Let’s look at some options.” Try “My coworker can help you,” instead of “It’s the end of my shift.”
 
You can avoid saying “no” much more often than you think, Gallagher said. 
 
For more: Rich Gallagher, Point of Contact Group; www.pointofcontactgroup.com.