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#8 If the client gets out of line, don’t
Getting out of line is wrong, no matter the cause. Nevertheless, take action but stay professional. Want to know the details? –>
| Say “I know that you are upset right now. I really think we should discuss this matter later to find a solution as we are stuck a little bit at the moment.” |
instead of “You f… id…. Don’t you dare to f… speak with me that way. You are a real m…. You f… s…h…” |
Looking for more? Details on each rule will be posted daily, one by one. Watch out for the new posts and follow the links below (shown once published)
#1 Be positive (link)
#2 Show solutions not problems (link)
#3 Explain, don‘t teach (link)
#4 Let them know, but don’t tell them (link)
#5 Be precise, but not overly precise (link)
#6 Know it all but don‘t be a know-it-all (link)
#7 Show sympathy and be helpful (link)
#8 If the client gets out of line, don’t (link)
#9 Say “Yes, and…” instead of “No, but…” (link not yet published)
#10 A shut mouth catches no flies (link not yet published)
Where did these rules come from?
Well…, most of my professional career I have been working in client service, thus working with clients… And when it comes to communication then I have witnessed and experienced many occasions where just choosing the wrong words lead to a major misunderstanding, to dissatisfaction, even to frustration and anger.
I also witnessed that a few adjustments of your communication can help reaching a mutually beneficial outcome of a maybe difficult and negative situation (like telling the client that the delivery will be late). These little adjustments is what I summarized for me into my “10 rules for better communication”.
These ten rules don’t claim to be complete or foolproof. They are just based on my personal experience and are the 10 rules that have helped me most over time. I hope you will enjoy reading my “10 rules for great communication” and I also hope that you will not take everything literally, meaning you don‘t have to start all of your sentences from now on with „Wow, …“ (first example in rule#1)… :-). And yes, the examples are exaggerated… 🙂
All examples are very focused on a consultant-client-relationship as this is where I spent most of my professional time. But I am sure that with a little imagination you could easily translate that into any industry.