One important thing to understand is that, in most cases, the customer is not upset with you personally. They are probably upset with the product, the manufacturer, your company, or an unusual situation. It may also be something that has absolutely nothing to do with anything you’re involved in – such as home issues, work issues, or relationship issues. They could just be having an unusually bad day. Unfortunately, it almost always feels like they’re mad at you.
If you can calmly accept that your red-faced customer is not actually upset with you personally, it will be much easier to deal positively with the situation at hand. This is hard when the veins on a customer’s forehead are sticking out directly at you. In these situations, it’s just human nature to want to defend ourselves, but don’t do it.
A less than perfect way to handle the situation would be:
Customer: I can’t believe these impact guns only have a one-year warranty! It really ticks me off.
Jobber: You should have known that when you bought the impact gun, so don’t come to me with your complaint.
You have now picked a fight, and I guarantee things will go downhill from there, as will your sales to that technician.
A better way to handle this situation is this: As you quietly and without interrupting listen to the customer’s problem, you should first respond like you do when you correctly handle an objection in a sales presentation. Make sure you are dealing with a real problem and not just a throw-away gripe.
For example:
Customer: I can’t believe these impact guns only have a one-year warranty! It really ticks me off.
Jobber: Yes, I sure wish the warranties were longer. Let’s try another good brand with your next one, and I’ll give you a bit of a discount on it.
This answer accepts and agrees with the customer, lets him know you have empathy with the situation, and that you are giving him a little discount for his trouble. Then you move on to selling him another one.
The customer got the gripe off their chest and they are now ready to move on.
