How To Handle Difficult Clients

In today’s day and age of cutthroat competition, everyone in business has their war stories to tell; tales of how they have dealt with demanding clients who were rude and presented themselves with unreasonable demands or tried to take advantage of them with threats of ending the contracts.

Be it business owners, client associates, or even managers; we have all been in situations at least once or twice where we had to deal with challenging clients creating intricate and complicated problems every once in a while. For instance;

• Expecting too much for their stated budget
• Stating unreasonable demands
• Anticipating fulfillment of orders with incomplete information
• Disregarding human limitations
• Paying no attention to legal stipulations etc.

As challenging as this might be, not knowing how to deal with such situations can often lead to important clients finding their way to the exit, taking their contracts with them despite making every effort to win them over or meet their requirements.

The challenges posed by a single difficult client can sometimes overshadow the numerous other benefits that managers and associates have brought to the business. Courteously dealing with such difficult clients has become imperative to continue the business relationship.

Still, sometimes even politeness and goodwill cannot be enough to salvage the relationship.

To avoid such distaste in relationships, below are eight effective strategies outlined by leading business coaches to help deal with difficult clients.

Understanding the client’s perspective

“A customer is always right.” How many times have we heard this phrase before? Irrespective of how difficult a client may be, always try to approach the situation with curiosity. Give your client the benefit of the doubt and begin by understanding their perspective. At the end of the day, everyone wants to feel heard and be understood. So instead of being defensive, try hearing them out, even if it means spending hours listening to your client vent about a baseless issue. Acknowledge and validate their concerns without interruptions, even if you disagree. Believe it or not but by, simply allowing your client to state their opinion without expressing any deviation is, in fact, the first step towards tackling them and resolving the issue.

Addressing the elephant in the room

Instead of going about letting go or ignoring the tension amidst a conversation or when you feel things are going off track with a difficult client, it’s always better to address the elephant in the room and nip it in the bud.

Use polite yet impactful sentences like:

• “I notice there seems to be some sort of tension.”
• “we seem to be less aligned on this point.”

By doing so, you’re simply opening the doors for a productive conversation that is free from any sort of judgment.

Remember, the main objective of all this is to learn more about your client’s predicament and understand what’s truly going on with him. After all, when all is said and done, you can’t really change anything unless you don’t fully understand what it is.

Set boundaries on day one

As a business owner, you’re most likely to deal with dozens of clients, with each having a different temperament and a unique way of handling their business. One great tactic to ensure smooth sailing even when dealing with a difficult client is by clearly outlining all the critical points in the contract. This includes moving past the basic details of work and including things like:

• What’s in and out of scope
• Details about mode and method of communication
• Precise specifications of how you will work together and
• Various other relationship norms and boundaries

By doing so, you’re not only being extra careful but also setting yourself up for success. After signing such an elaborate contract, when clients disrespect your work ethics or violate the points of the agreement mentioned in the contract, you end up having the upper hand. You can then choose to address it, renegotiate it or simply walk away. After all, no client is more important than your self-respect!

Suck it up

Yes, you heard it right! “Suck it up, butter cup!” Just like the famous movie from the early 2000s, sometimes we just have to deal with the situation as it is. Remember! Clients pay us to solve their problems. Despite their rude demeanor or unreasonable demands, there are times that we just have to leave our feelings at the door and deal with the situation. Chances are that your client is probably just having a bad day or is falling prey to misplaced anger and frustration. Don’t let the stress of one bad client get to you in either case. Simply take a deep breath, and do the best in what you were hired to do. Finish the contract and go your separate ways.

Ripping off the bandage with respect and grace

This is an alternative to the strategy mentioned above. If you feel that sucking it up is just too much for you to handle, then try setting clear expectations and parameters at the beginning of a contract or a partnership.

By following this approach, both you and your client can hold each other accountable when things go south without any sort of judgment. Not only this, but you also get to rip off the bandage and be able to share things with each other, which you probably don’t want to hear BUT with respect and grace.

Staying positive and acknowledging them for who they

Irrespective of how complicated your clients are, they are still people at the end of the day. Another yet effective strategy to deal with difficult clients is acknowledging them for who they are and having unconditional positive regard for them.

The chances are that their behavior stems from some sort of deep-seated unresolved issues that are overshadowing their greatness, or your client is simply acting out from a place of fear where they are feeling unheard or misunderstood.

So try approaching such clients honestly and positively without any judgment and giving them space while conversing with them.

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Reframing Conflict

As much as we all like to avoid it, conflict is inevitable in client relationships. However, that does not mean that conflicts must always end up being adversarial. If managed properly, they can also be collaborative. So as a leader, the next time you deal with a problematic client, try reframing the concept altogether! Carefully plan and carry out conversations with clients in a manner where they feel both heard and acknowledged.

Layout all the facts surrounding the issue so that you both are on the same page, and then try to include them in solving the problem together. You’d be surprised to find this newfound temperament of your client when he realizes that you are acknowledging his concerns.

Sometimes it just isn’t worth it

Many business owners focus too much time and energy trying their best to please or satisfy the unreasonably tricky client. As much as we want to “bring home the revenue,” sometimes it just isn’t worth it! Don’t devalue yourself and work with clients who will suck the life out of you. This would render you drained to the extent that you can’t entirely focus on another aspect of the business. Trust me; it’s better to focus on your 2% and give it your best. Don’t try to create a portfolio of several difficult clients and then lose your sleep to satisfy them.

At the end of the day stress and negativity that spawns overtime from dealing with difficult and demanding clients can be quite detrimental in the long run. So learn to recognize when that happens and take action now. No doubt, mastering the art of learning how to deal with difficult clients is one that every CEO should be skilled at.

Originally published at https://sabinegedeon.com on March 28, 2022.