Whether you are a business owner or an entry level personnel, who deals with customers directly, it is important to note that words can make or break a business.
Building a good relationship with clients is the key to a successful business.
This relationship takes forever to build but it only takes one tiny mistake, like mispronouncing a client’s name for instance, or cursing, to ruin it.
Not only will it jeopardize your reputation, but also your business’s reputation. And worse, it might discourage future clients as well.
Slip-ups are inevitable. But it never hurts to be on a lookout for things or words that you could very well avoid. The future of your business, after all, lies on this.
So what are the top things that you have to be careful about when talking to clients
OVER-PROMISING and UNDER-PERFORMING
“Yes that is very doable 100 percent” seems like a bit of a stretch when what you actually mean is “If things go as planned and we will not encounter any unforeseeable obstacles, then we expect the service to be delivered as promised.”
When speaking with clients, never promise them that you will deliver something that you yourself know is impossible. Give your clients the real scenario and give them realistic expectations rather than promising them the moon and never living up to the promise. If this happens, clients will come to distrust you. Underpromise and overdeliver is more like it. If you exceed expectations, then you will get plus points. Impressing clients mean you gain their trust and it could later on lead to more referrals and that is always good for business.
NEVER SAY ‘IT’S NO BIG DEAL’
Sometimes, clients come to you with issues either about a product, a service or a business deal. Remember, we always want our clients to feel that they are important. Telling them ‘It’s no big deal’ will give them the impression that you could not care less about their problems. The fact that they came to you about these issues mean that it is a big deal to them.
So instead of belittling their problems, show them that their concerns are also your concerns and that you understand and offer a solution.
Instead of ‘it’s no big deal’ say instead, ‘I totally understand your concern, maybe we could do this.”
A SHORT RESEARCH WILL COME A LONG WAY
Before meeting up with clients or potential clients, make sure you are 100 percent sure about how their names are pronounced, what their designation are and most importantly, their company’s names.
This is especially helpful especially if their names are foreign-sounding.
Pronouncing their names wrong will come off as disrespectful and it might lead your clients out the door.
Do a little background about their company as well. Once they see that you did a research about them shows that you are interested and that they are important enough for you to spend time to find things about them.
NEVER SAY ‘THAT IS NOT MY PROBLEM, IT’S HIS PROBLEM’
Sometimes an issue raised is not under your control jurisdiction. Never tell a client to talk to another person because it is not your problem.
Once a concern is raised, take it to heart. Apologize profusely and take full responsibility of the problem and right away offer a solution to the problem.
You can say, “I apologize for the inconvenience and I will do everything that I can to help you resolve this issue right away.”
This way, you maintain your client’s trust.
NEVER SAY “LET ME ADD YOU ON FACEBOOK”
Always keep it professional. Your clients are the clients and not your friends. Deal with them in a professional manner. If you need to get hold of them online, you may use the company’s official Facebook account, not your personal page. There are also other means like the professional network on LinkedIn.
NEVER CURSE
Avoid curse words at all cost. Not only does cursing reflect badly on your person but it also makes people lose respect for you, the company your represent and even your family. We tend to curse when we are frustrated. If this happens, try taking a long breath before saying anything, lest you offend you client after letting out a curse word.
NEVER SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT ANOTHER PERSON TO YOUR CLIENT
Not even your workmate who may have committed a mistake. Never do this especially if it does not involve your client. Talking crap about someone shows bad form. Always show your client that you are an upstanding person and a person he or she can rely on to do business with and not someone who could possibly also talk behind his or her back.
LOL. OMG. WTH. IRL.
In dealing with clients, speaking appropriately is as important as chatting or texting appropriately. Communication isn’t only limited to talking on the phone or in person. There are a lot of other means to communicate these days thanks to technology. There’s e-mail exchanges, text messages, chats on Viber and Skype among other. Always keep in mind that you are not talking to a friend over your high school crush. You are talking to a client. Keeping it professional would mean that you chat or text in complete sentences and do not use abbreviations as much as possible.
BADMOUTHING YOUR OWN COMPANY
Words like, “Yeah, my company sucks,” or “I know that our policy is terrible,” will send clients or potential clients running for the hills. You need to remember that when you deal with clients, you are representing your company. If you are saying things against your company in front of your client, it goes out to show that you are not trustworthy as you do not even believe in your own company’s goals and rules.
If the client questions your company’s rules, you could always say, “It is in our best desire to serve our clients in that manner
Words are powerful. And if you are not careful, it could lead to your downfall.
Always choose your words carefully and think once, think twice before talking to the client. It is important to maintain a healthy working relationship with a client in order to keep your business going.
