How to Deal With Angry Clients

Source: RainToday

In this article, author Michael W. McLaughlin provides guidance on dealing with angry clients when something goes wrong on a project. According to McLaughlin, the quickest way to derail the process of resolving a problem is to play the "blame game." When you blame the client, he says, two things happen. First, "your focus becomes to shield yourself (and your ego) from the negative implications of the situation." Second, "the resolution process gets bogged down."

McLaughlin offers three principles to keep in mind that can help you solve problems quickly and strengthen your relationship with the client:

Acknowledge that no one caused the problem intentionally. It's natural to be upset that you have to deal with a bad situation, but your interests and those of your client should be in alignment. So define the problem quickly and decide on a course of action to solve it.

Recognize that most project problems result from poor decisions. At the same time, remember that most people make the best decisions possible given the information available at the time. Find an answer to the problem first, and then look at the decision-making process to see what you can do differently in the future.

Resolving a problem isn't a win-lose proposition. As you work through the issue, remind yourself and the client that you have interests in common. If the conversation gets rough, take a step back and reflect on and reaffirm your points of mutual interest before you return to the issue at hand.

For the complete article, click here.

Michael W. McLaughlin is a principal with MindShare Consulting, LLC, a firm that creates innovative sales and marketing strategies for professional services companies.

From RainToday, www.raintoday.com, May 19, 2010, "When Clients Put You on the Hot Seat."