Argue with your Customers

And watch them go away!

Today I have two posts from a newsletter I received from Jeff Blackman last week.

This one is posting at 6am, the next one about dress shopping will post at 10am:

Jeff, how do I handle the occasional tough or nasty customer?

Answer

Here’s how, with the four-step S.E.R.V.™ problem-solving formula. The steps are:

1. S Specify
2. E Evaluate
3. R Remedy
4. V Verify

Each step also has three specific action strategies for resolving problems:

1. SPECIFY

Specify the difficulty, dilemma or problem to be solved. Specification lets you solve your customer or client’s problem, whether it’s real or simply perceived.

Effective specification requires you to:

a. Know the facts.
b. Listen without bias.
c. Re-affirm or repeat the facts to your customer, to demonstrate you listened.

2. EVALUATE

In this stage you find out:

a. Who goofed or made the mistake?
b. What did or didn't happen?
c. What should have happened that didn't.

The goal here is not to assign blame, but instead to empower or authorize someone within your organization to take action on behalf of your customer.

3. REMEDY

To remedy the problem, you should do three things:

a. First, ask your customer what he or she wants or what he or she suggests to solve the problem.
b. Offer your suggestions.
c. Work together with your customer to reach agreement.

4. VERIFY

Here, you verify:

a. The course of action to be taken.
b. That your customer is satisfied with that action.
c. That you value the customer’s business.

Will the S.E.R.V. formula always work? Nope.

Unfortunately, no matter what you do or say, there are always those select few customers who are chronic complainers. They can never be satisfied. Their goal is to inflict pain and suffering. They add fuel to the fire.

However, they're the minority.

And remember, nobody has ever won an argument with a customer!

Reproduced with permission from Jeff Blackman's free e-letter, The Results Report. Jeff is a speaker, author, business-growth specialist, success coach, broadcaster and lawyer. Contact Jeff at 847.998.0688 or to join, please visit: www.jeffblackman.com.
© Blackman & Associates, Inc.

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