JUST ONE THING
Navigating Client Comebacks
Episode 110
With Rick White, 180BIZ
What I want to talk about today is comebacks. We all want clients to come back, just not too soon, and not definitely for the same problem. But it happens. I’ll talk about the normal reactions and then a better reaction.
“OH CRAP!”
So, the normal reaction to seeing someone walking in that was just in the last day or two is “Oh crap!” Especially if they got their angry face on and they're walking a little quicker. You can clearly see that they're agitated and upset. You think, “Oh crap, I don't need this. I don't have time for this. What a great way to start the day!”
Some clients, when they come back, they are very nice. They are very understanding. They say, “Hey, I'm really sorry to bother you, but there's still a problem.” And then you wake up. What usually happens is the client comes in upset. And there are a lot of reasons why they're upset. They could be upset because they don't have time for it. They could be upset because they feel like there were taken advantage of. They could be upset they don’t know if they brought their car to the right place. They could be upset because they didn't go somewhere else. They could be upset that it might cost them more money. They could be upset that you don't know what you're doing. These are all different things that could be rolling around in their head. There are so many things going on emotionally inside their bodies right now. And the very worst thing you can do is be logical or defensive.
It’s easy to react.
Yes, it's easy to react. Yes, it's easy to just think, “Oh, crap” and then resonate that feeling. And you don't always resonate it with words; you resonate it with your body language, your tone, and your emotions. We are very good at picking up other people's emotions. Trust me. Your client is on full alert.
Who are you focusing on?
I’ll ask you a simple question. When you are reacting that way, who are you focusing on? When you think, “Not another comeback. I don't have time for this. I’m short-staffed today. How much will it cost me? What am I going do?” We're focused on US. That is the wrong way to think about this. Your client is upset. You've all been in this situation where you were the client or the customer, and you had a problem, haven’t you? I'm having one right now with Verizon Wireless. I just want to strangle them. No one is putting themselves in my shoes.
1: Expect the Best
So, when you see them coming in, there are two things I want you to do. Number one, write this down. It's super simple, but it's easy to forget. EXPECT the BEST. Perhaps they're coming in to thank you for the work that you've done. Perhaps it’s to let you know how much better their car is running. I've had it happen. I got myself all worked up about a comeback, and then all of a sudden, bam, they come in and say, “Rick, thank you so much. This thing was awesome. It's never run this well. It is just amazing.” That is awesome when it happens. Once you expect the best and you get hit with a storm of emotions, you think about how you would feel if that were you. How would I feel?
Stay focused on them with some compassion, caring, empathy, and understanding. Listen to them. Ask them to clarify. Let them get upset. And most importantly talk to them. You could say, I understand you're upset. I would be too. We will take care of this for you. We make it right.” Let them get upset. Reassure them by saying, I'm so sorry you're going through this. We will do right by you.”
Some of our best clients have been clients that have had a problem and saw firsthand how quickly we responded to it and took care of them. Another way to say it is this. “It’s easy to do business with a company when everything's going right. Watch what we do when something goes wrong. That's when the true colors of a company show up.” Ensure that you're there to help them. You will take care of it for them. Take away as much pain as you can. “Do you need a loaner? Do you need a rental?” Take care of whatever can in the beginning.
2: Do not automatically assume responsibility
BUT… DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY. Let me give you an example. Someone had a check engine light on. The vehicle was running rough, and you found a bad coil, so you fixed it. Six months later, they come back and say, “I have the same problem. My check engine light is on.” You know that a check engine light is actually a symptom, not the problem. You must talk to your client about that. And that all comes down to your communication and documentation. The lesson here is don't automatically assume responsibility. You should listen, care, and be there to help. Then, let them know that this doesn’t have anything to do with the work you did before. You should 100% stand by your work. End of story.
3: Prioritize them.
Next, I want you to PRIORITIZE them. Let them know you will push a car out if you have to get them right in. You will take care of them. They will love what you do, and you will make this right as quickly as possible.
So first, EXPECT THE BEST. Next, DON’T AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY. And finally, PRIORITIZE them.
Please share this video. God bless. Stay safe, have fun, and go make some money.
