Face-off: irate consumers can mean big trouble for retailers. Here are six ways to tame rude customers

Pool & Spa News, Jan 31, 2005 by Rebecca Robledo

John Mosher remembers the time he received an unusual call from a customer demanding warranty repair on a spa.

Normally, this type of request was no problem. However, the spa in question had been out of warranty for more than a year. The customer claimed he'd placed an initial call a year before and that Mosher's company never got back to him.

"He screamed at one of our No. 1 people," recalls Mosher, owner of Central Iowa Pool & Spa in Des Moines. "It ruined their whole day."

Mosher and his staff keep meticulous records, and he is sure he never received that first call. But even if there had been an oversight, who waits an entire year to follow up?

Most retailers agree that customers have become less patient and forgiving. Somebody wants their spa fixed right now, while mother demands free advice about a product they purchased from a big-box store. Yet another gets testy when they don't like price.

"I would say that's due to our fast-paced society," says Chris Kovacs, assistant general manager of Aqua Rec's Swimmin' Hole & Fireplace Shop, based in Fircrest, Wash. 'You have a society of fast food and everything's accessible via the Internet. You can have answers now, now, now."

Modern life is cutting people's patience short. Though you can't control what happens to customers outside your doors, you can make their shopping experience as pleasant as possible. Try the following tips for soothing people's spirits:

1 Don't get sucked into negativity.

Two negatives don't make a positive. Whether it's a longtime customer with a legitimate problem or a first-timer who is all attitude, don't retaliate. "All you can control is how you react," says Daniel Butler, vice president of retail operations at the National Retail Federation in Washington, D.C.

For starters, don't take the customer's beef to heart. Even if they have a legitimate grievance, they aren't attacking you personally. New customers, especially, shouldn't get under your skin.

"A new customer who is irate isn't irate at you," Mosher notes. "He's irate at something else that's happened because he doesn't even know who you are."

You could also be dealing with someone who thrives on drama. "A customer like that wants you to buy into their agitation," says Rita Rowlen, co-owner of Ultra Modern Pool & Patio in Wichita, Kan. "But all you'll do is end up in a verbal battle and nobody wins."

Remember, you're in the fun business, so you should maintain a sense of humor. A well-timed joke ,night even work, says Brenda Murr, vice president of Mermaid Pool, Spa & Patio in Anderson, Ind. For example, when one persnickety longtime customer pushed Murr to her limit, she needed to make a choice between laughing or blowing up.

"I finally looked at him one day and said, 'You know, I think God put you on this earth to make me a better person,'" Murr says. "He just burst out laughing and ever since, we've had a good relationship." She wouldn't recommend this tactic on new customers, though, or people with a specific complaint.

2 Send the right message.

The right body language reinforces your obvious competence. Good posture indicates confidence and ease, while slouching can make one look nervous or lackadaisical. Nodding and maintaining eye contact shows respect and attentiveness.

Practice your presentation in front of a mirror or on video to see how you look to others. "You might do something you don't realize that could make a customer feel uncomfortable," Rowlen says.

3 Customize your approach.

Skilled salespeople assess individuals' personalities quickly and customize their greetings. Murr throws out a test balloon by asking about something unrelated to the store, such as the weather or the college logo on the person's T-shirt. If they clearly want to be left alone, she'll let them be.

You can also direct the transaction by opening with a more specific question than the typical "Can I help you?" Though it's a reasonable inquiry, it can be too vague for some people, Butler says. Provide structure by asking, "What can I help you find?"

"I was amazed whenever I would ask people 'Can I help you?' and they would always say, 'No,'" says Butler, who worked with several large department stores before taking his post at the National Retail Federation. "Then it would immediately be followed with 'Where is such-and-such?'"

4 Be a good listener.

Let your client do the talking. Find out about their lifestyle, living space and other factors affecting their purchase. You can then go into problem-solving mode, says Tony Alessandra, Ph.D., a Las Vegas-based sales trainer and author.

"You don't look at a customer and sell them as much as you can," he says. "You sell them as much as they need. Look beyond the transaction to the long-term value of a customer."

Have the right information ready. Train employees to be as knowledgeable as they are pleasant, says Roger Blackwell, Ph.D., marketing professor at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business, and a consultant and author of Brands That Rock.

5 Confront complaints systematically.