Every printer has had to deal with difficult clients. They are the ones who push back on ideas, the ones who don’t follow your social mores, who don’t understand you, and, in some cases, who don’t particularly like you. Then there are those who just badger the company when they feel they don’t get exactly what they want.
First, it has to be said that there are ways of turning it into an opportunity. The most important thing to do is to adjust your mindset. Forget any feelings you might have that it’s not the company’s fault and the client has made a mistake. What’s important here is acknowledging that the client is upset and it’s up to you to solve the problem. Resist the temptation to solve everything straight away and listen to the client carefully. Let your client tell you his story. Repeat their concerns so you’re sure that you’re addressing their issues, and that they see it (for example, ‘So what you’re saying is you are upset the order didn’t arrive on time. Is that right?’). Be empathetic and apologise and present a solution. And follow up.
On the other hand, it’s okay sometimes to say no if the client is being unreasonable. Look after your staff first if the client is giving them a hard time. After all, the way you treat your employees is ultimately going to be one of the biggest drivers of how your staff will treat customers. What’s important here is that you retain your best people. In the long run they will help you make bigger profits than the one difficult client who may drive them away.
If the situation is beyond repair, you can fire a client. You just have to be sure that your reasoning is sound. As difficult as it might be to let go of business, if a client is costing you money, sometimes it’s best to cut ties and have them find a better fit. That requires taking a look at the complexity of the work, profitability, and whether the client was referred to you or whether the client refers other people to you. Also, consider whether there are additional opportunities for business in future. Look at the timeliness of payment and the client’s satisfaction with you.
It is also a good idea to analyse where you spend most of your time and effort. You are likely to learn that you spend the most time on the least important clients. That is because more important clients already trust you and are therefore easier to please.
The reality is most small businesses can afford to release 10-15 per cent of their client base every two years, thereby releasing the business from unenjoyable work and freeing up time to look for class-A clients. Or you can put up your prices and the clients may disappear by themselves. If it was just the price keeping them, the relationship would always be strained. In any case, a loss of 10-15 per cent of clients every two years can be healthy.
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