[364] How to deal with difficult customers or clients

Description

Do you ever have clients or customers who seem impossible to please? If you’re a coach or consultant, these typically show up as clients who sign up to work with you…and then don’t do the work. But somehow they try to make it feel like it's all your fault.

If you have a product-based business, these are generally the ones who ask for discounts and refunds - often without justification. These kind of people can be a huge drain on your energy - and your time.

In this episode I share practical strategies for dealing with difficult clients and customers.

{Click on the player above to listen to the podcast episode and/or read on for a detailed overview. Scroll down to the bottom to read the show notes including all the links mentioned in this episode}

Podcast shownotes

How setting the ground rules can help reduce complaints (4:46)
Why prevention is better than cure by managing expectations of clients (5:46)
How setting boundaries can reduce your workload and manage client expectations (6:45)
How to create a fairplay agreement for your guidelines and learn about mine (13:25)
How having your FAQs on your sales page can help if a customer is dissatisfied(14:08)
How communicating well and monitoring your communications can help protect against unhappy clients (16:48)
How creating key blog posts in a membership can improve a client experience (18:10)
How anticipating potential problems will help prevent problems with clients (22:39)
How to use a discovery call with a potential client to decide if you can work with them (24:45)
How to defuse a situation with an unhappy client (28:00)
How putting the onus back on the customer can help de escalate a situation (29:38)
How to deal with someone who complains by showering them with love (33:17)
Why you shouldn’t be afraid to refund people and let them go (36:20)