Consult Carson 7/15: "I have very demanding customers I cannot please. Help!"

From today's mailbag: "I have some customers who are extremely demanding.  I do everything I can to stay on top of customer requests because I know how important communication is.  However, they don't understand just how hard it is to meet every one of their requests and I'm overwhelmed.  They also complain any time I cannot meet their exact demands in their timeframe. I'm afraid of losing top customers because of poor process at work. Help!"

Carson: First off, breathe.

We've been groomed in environments where the philosophy "the customer is always right" has been bandied around.  The customer does come first - they are the center of our world.  And they do business with us for the fact that we are reachable - for the fact we are able to communicate with them quickly and efficiently and be the solution to all of their problems big and small.

That said, if you do a quality job of building a customer base, creating a pipeline and managing your accounts, you will very likely eventually reach a point where you have quite a bit of work on your hands.  While we strive to treat every single individual customer like they are our one and only, this can become exceptionally daunting when their demands reach a fever pitch even over the most basic of requests.

(1) Delegate where possible.  Hopefully, you have support and supportive folks who can assist you in some of the tasks.  Decide which ones it makes sense for you to get help on; typically, these would be administrative, non-customer facing items that may take up a chunk of time but take too much away from your other customers.  These also need to be items you can train someone else to do effectively.  They also need to be items that you know will be done right, so you've got to be selective.

(2) Level set expectations.  Strategically but empathetically share with your customer that their request is of the utmost importance to you and that it will be handled as quickly as possible.  It is OK to put an out of office on when you are extremely busy with other activities that are taking you away from immediate response.  It is OK to involve your support team and copy the customer in on some of those correspondences - often, a customer does not necessary expect an immediate resolution but they appreciate seeing that you are working on their request.  Staying in touch with and keeping tabs on their situation as often as possible even if it is not possible to deliver an immediate answer can go a long way and still maintain the relationship's smooth nature.

(3) Apologize and be forthcoming.  Sometimes customers do not understand everything that goes on behind the scenes to facilitate their request.  Over-communication in these situations helps, but often an explanation and apology for the time or any gaps in process can help.  Ensure they know that you are providing their feedback up the chain to any applicable parties to improve process.  Ensure they know you are doing the best you can to manage under the existing circumstances.  Frankly, the best you can do is the best you can do.

(4) Provide feedback.  If the process is not working for the customer or you need additional support or resources to fulfill your customers' needs, it is incumbent upon you to get that information into the people's hands who can help.  Otherwise, you will never see positive change.

Again, the best you can do is the best you can do.  Prioritize the work; handle and manage the relationships you come to know need immediate responses first.  Delegate where you can, communicate as much as you can, and provide feedback on how the process works and does not work for your clients.  Be patient with your customers - remember, their business and the potential referrals they can bring in are always in the balance.  How you handle requests after they buy that are not even tied to money are often the basis on which you are judged.  Do the best you can to manage their expectations and deliver on your promises. 

Sometimes, the process you are operating under will not satisfy every customer.  We live and learn, and a deal we may lose today can lead to process improvement down the road that will lead to much better customer relationships.  Don't lose hope, look at the big picture, and work every day to impact change for the holy sales trinity: the customer, the company, and you.

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Carson V. Heady posts for "Consult Carson" serving as the "Dear Abby" of sales and sales leadership.  You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving.  You will also be directly contributing to his third book, "A Salesman Forever." 

Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail at [email protected] or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page: https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/

Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled "Birth of a Salesman" that has a unique spin that shows you proven sales principles designed to birth in you the top producer you were born to be.

If you would like to strengthen your sales skills, go to https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICRVMI2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yGXKtb0G28TWF