What do you do if your coaching skills aren't enough to handle difficult clients?

The key involves guided listening. Get out paper and pen and ask them to please clearly explain exactly what happened, what they expected, and why they are angry. Make copious notes, even if you don't have to or disagree with what they are saying. Now is not the time to defend yourself or for judgements, just listen. This forces them (as you gently ask questions such as "when was this?" and "what exactly did they say?") to keep to the facts, concentrate on the actions and not the emotions. It takes a few minutes for them to calm down, but in my experience using this technique, they always do. Once you have their full story, thank them for the feedback and inform them you will go away, study what they have told you and get back to them.

The client is our priority, so whenever we see that we are struggling in providing this support in an effective way, we need to pause, look for support (a coach supervisor is a great option). There are instances in which we may have to recognise and accept that the challenge our client is facing, is something that is not under our expertise (and that is okay!). In this case, keeping their interest as a priority, we can help them by referring them to someone who has the specific expertise.

Coaching Skill isn't Enough when it comes to managing Difficult clients. You need a Background knowledge in Human Psychology, Good Communication Skills,Customer relationships and Management, Conflict Resolution etc. So, if you discover that you lack the skill to manage a Difficult Client, then I recommend you learn the essential Skills To be able to fill up that gap.

We're all human and each of us has a different personality. It's okay to admit that not everyone is a fit for your services! If you try and please everyone, you please no one.

Every client, especially the ones in very challenging situations, is an invaluable opportunity for us to keep learning. In this case, it is of great help to take time after each coaching session to review our notes and reflect if there is anything we can do differently or anything that it would be important for us to explore and learn to prepare ourselves for future sessions. In the end this is a continuous ongoing learning process.

If your coaching skills aren't enough to handle difficult clients, Review your skills and pattern and consider the difficulty the client presents. You may need to tweak your approach to address the peculiarity of that client and/or consult a professional psychologist/psychotherapist/human behavioral analyst.... that has more experience and expertise understanding and breaking through different clients.