Difficult Customers

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98% of the people you serve are rational and fair, but oh, that other 2%: if you're not careful, they can drive you crazy . . . if you let them. Here are some tips on handling difficult customers while retaining your sanity and your self-respect:

	Make sure you're not the one being difficult: If you occasionally encounter difficult customers, that's simply the price of doing business. But if most of your customers are being difficult, perhaps you should have a little talk with the person in the mirror.
	If a difficult customer wants to "pick a fight," don't be drawn into his or her craziness: it's not worth it, and besides, you can't win.
	Remain calm: a few deep breaths and some rational self-talk should help.
	If you're not sure how to respond, don't say anything: resist the temptation to make the best speech you'll ever regret.
	Don't let one customer ruin your day: after the unpleasantness is over, forget about it and get on with your life. And don't waste time thinking about what you "should have said."
	Think of all the great customers you serve and forget about the lousy ones: Most people are basically good, thank goodness!

And, for a few great ideas about difficult customers, consider the following:

When Dealing with a Difficult Customer, Keep Cool

"It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man with an argument."
William G. McAdoo

"The fault-finder will find faults even in paradise."
Henry David Thoreau

"Misery is a communicable disease."
Martha Graham

"Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens."
Epictetus

"Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm."
Robert Louis Stevenson

When Dealing with a Difficult Customer, Remove Your Ego From the Situation

"It is up to us to give ourselves recognition. If we wait for it to come from others, we feel resentful when it doesn't, and when it does, we may well reject it."
Bernard Berkowitzi

"Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye."
Helen Keller

"Your time is too precious to be sacrificed in wasted days combating the menial forces of hate, jealously, and envy. Guard your fragile life carefully. Only God can shape a flower, but any foolish child can pull it to pieces."
Og Mandino

"A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable."
Billy Graham

"Judge your neighbor by his best moments, not his worst."
Fulton J. Sheen

When Dealing With a Difficult Customer, Retain Your Composure, Maintain Your Dignity, and Control Your Temper

"No person is important enough to make me angry."
Carlos Castaneda

"No one can drive us crazy unless we give them the keys."
Doug Horton

" If you don't control your mind, someone else will."
John Allston

"You have a right to say "No" without feeling guilty."
Manuel J. Smith

"The important thing is to know how to take all things quietly."
Michael Faraday

This page was written and compiled by Criswell Freeman, Psy.D.

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