The Fire Your Customers Myth
by Karl
Walinskas
The Customer is Always Right. Isn’t that what we’ve been told? If
you’re in business, you know how preposterous that statement is. The
customer isn’t always right, the customer is often wrong. Worse yet, you
know it, he knows it, and he knows you know it.
This mantra was ramrodded
down the throat of American business in the eighties (nineteen-eighties,
that is) and early nineties that we became sick of living the lie. So what
happened? Well, for the past five or six years it has become vogue to fire
your customers—that is, those customers who are not profitable or are a
pain in the…neck. The worm has truly turned. Sweet emotional release is
achieved when you can stand proudly before your support group, chin high
and twinkle in your eye, and utter, “I just fired a customer!” A hearty
round of applause is bestowed upon you, as if you just announced you have
been alcohol and drug free for six months.
Watch out! There is a need for caution and I’ll tell you why. It is
perfectly acceptable to take inventory of your loyal, profitable customers
and jettison the dogs, but like many things in American culture, many of
us didn’t read the entire customer-expunging process manual. The idea
seemed cool, so we figure we’d just go with the flow on getting it done.
No consequences in today’s dog eat dog world. Herein lies the myth.
Discharging customers the wrong way can and usually does lead to very bad
things for your business. Customers talk, and word of mouth about bad
experiences travels fast and far.
Last Tuesday, I was able to finally connect with the paving contractor
who originally blacktopped my driveway about six years ago. It was time
for a reseal, and we had been missing each other. The first experience
with this guy had been pleasant and professional, so I was willing to
single source the rework job, no questions asked. If you’re the
contractor, this is ideal, right? Repeat business with no cost of the
sale. Well, he shows up to give me the estimate, let’s call him Gino, and
Gino has it already written by the time I can secure my infant and get
outside to talk to him. It’s a standard seal job with an additional piece
of beefing up a section of the driveway that was sunken over the years.
The price was right, and then I asked a question.
“So, Gino, how are you going to raise that sunken section of the
driveway?”
“Oh, I’ll put down three inches of gravel and pave over it.”
“Three inches, huh? Wow, it appears to be sunken a good foot there on
the corner, is that enough?”
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years, Karl, how long have you been
laying blacktop? The corner needs to stay lower for water runoff.”
I think it’s a joke, so I ignore it. I also now understand Gino’s
reasoning.
“Touché’! Well, you’re the expert. Sounds good to me. How do we get
started?”
We agree that he’ll call in advance of the day he can get over, shake
hands and he’s off.
End of story? Not exactly. Three days later I receive a voice mail
message.
“Mr. Walinski (everyone does that), I can’t do your job. Thanks
anyway.” <Click!>
My curiosity has got the better of me so I call back to see why the
change of heart. Gino indignantly tells me that he doesn’t like anybody
telling him how to do his job. He’s been doing this forever and I haven’t,
and I’d be unhappy with the finished product, so he’s, in effect, firing
me, and Oh by the way, your mother wears combat boots. Paul Bunyan
couldn’t have knocked the chip off his shoulder.
“I said that?” I replied.
“Yeah, you told me that I sucked eggs and so did my entire family, so
I don’t want to deal with you.”
It was my turn to hang-up on him. No one mentioned that it took three
days for my supposed insults to get under his skin.
Bizarre? Exaggeration? Just a little on the combat boots line. The fact
is that this customer treatment has become commonplace in the backlash
against the Customer is Always Right slogan. If you’re in the service
business (who isn’t?) and think this little escapade has no repercussions,
think again.
1. I wrote this article and have a speech on Customer Service next
month, where this story will make good content. It may end up on an
audiotape and heard by hundreds of consumers. What happens if I use the
business’ real name?
2. My Office Manager asked me the same day how my meeting with the blacktopper went, because she is getting her stone drive paved this year,
and it’s a big one. What do you think I told her?
I made the difference in thousands of dollars in revenue on the same
day this guy dissed me! HA HA!
By definition, letting customers go will probably be an unpleasant
experience for them. Here are some suggestions for damage control.
Clarify Disagreements First. If you’ve had a quarrel with a customer,
communicate with that person your perception of what you think is fair and
allow her to do the same. Validate her concerns and allow her to question
your judgment because she is paying you, even if she isn’t the expert you
are. You may find out through discussion that a misunderstanding doesn’t
warrant dumping the customer.
Be Professional. That means don’t do it over the voicemail or by not
calling or failing to show up for a job. Meet the person face to face and
politely explain why you think you may not be the source for them. There
may be a ton of reasons; you only need one. She doesn’t match your
customer profile, or you don’t feel you can Wow! him with the job,
whatever. Keep your value judgments to yourself and avoid a hostile tone.
Offer Alternatives. Remember, if you fire your customer, after all the
emotion is cleared that person is left without someone to perform the
service that you once did. Refer someone else to them that you feel is a
more appropriate match for their needs, such as another contractor who
specializes in smaller work. You may just help the customer find a perfect
match for his needs, someone better than you, and he’ll remember it and at
a minimum not spread verbal poison about your business.
The customer isn’t always right, but it’s our job as providers of value
to make them feel like they are always important. The process of firing
mismatched customers is not pleasant for either side and is to be avoided
at all costs. If it has to happen, use tact, courtesy, and professionalism
and offer alternatives and keep your business name in good public
standing.
Karl Walinskas is an expert at organizational
communications; a Chief Operating Officer, speaker and freelance writer in
Pennsylvania who helps businesses and individuals who want to communicate more
effectively through his company, The Speaking Connection (www.SpeakingConnection.com).
His latest book is Getting Connected Through Exceptional Leadership, and
he is a frequent contributor to business publications across the country. Karl
can be reached for bookings, questions or suggestions at 570-675-8956 or by
email at
karl@speakingconnection.com.
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