Beginners Guide for Business and Financial | Thesecretmeeting.com

When was the last time you had to deal with a difficult customer? It was probably and external customer but perhaps it was an internal customer, such as a member of your team, a colleague or even – your boss!

I’m sure that you always want to provide exceptional service to both your internal and external customers. However, in the real world, things go wrong and mistakes are made. These “customers” will often judge your level of service based on how you respond to a mistake. Do it well and they’ll probably forgive you and possibly even say positive things about your business or your abilities to other people.

The important thing to realise when dealing with an upset customer, be they internal or external, is that you must -deal with their feelings, then deal with their problem. Upset customers are liable to have strong feelings when you, your product or service lets them down and they’ll probably want to “dump” these feeling on you.

You don’t deal with their feelings by concentrating on solving the problem, it takes more. Here are 5 action ideas that deal with the customers’ human needs:

1 – Don’t let them get to you – Stay out of it emotionally and concentrate on listening non-defensively and actively. Customers may make disparaging and emotional remarks – don’t rise to the bait.

2 – Listen – listen – listen – Look and sound like your listening. The customer wants to know that you care and that you’re interested in their problem.

3 – Stop saying sorry – Sorry is an overused word, everyone says it when something goes wrong and it’s lost its value. How often have you heard – “Sorry ’bout that, give me the details and I’ll sort this out for you”. Far better to say “I apologise for ……” And if you really need to use the sorry word, make sure to include it as part of a full sentence. “I’m sorry you haven’t received that information as promised Mr Smith”. (It’s also good practise to use the customers name in a difficult situation).

4 – Empathise – Using empathy is an effective way to deal with the customers feelings. Empathy isn’t about agreement, only acceptance of what the customer is saying and feeling. Basically the message is – “I understand how you feel”. Obviously this has to be a genuine response, the customer will realise if you’re insincere and they’ll feel patronised. Examples of empathy responses would be – “I can understand that you’re angry”, or “I see what you mean”. Again, these responses need to be genuine.

5 – Build rapport – Sometimes it’s useful to add another phrase to the empathy response, including yourself in the picture. – “I can understand how you feel, I don’t like it either when I’m kept waiting”. This has the effect of getting on the customer’s side and builds rapport. Some customer service people get concerned with this response as they believe it’ll lead to – “Why don’t you do something about it then”. The majority of people won’t respond this way if they realise that you’re a reasonable and caring person. If they do, then continue empathising and tell the customer what you’ll do about the situation. “I’ll report this to my manager” or “I’ll do my best to ensure it doesn’t happen in the future”.

Make no mistake about it; customers, be they internal or external, are primarily driven by their emotions. It’s therefore important to use human responses in any interaction particularly when a customer is upset or angry. If customers like you and feel that you care, then they’re more likely to accept what you say and forgive your mistakes.

A cash out refinance mortgage loan is a great option if you have accrued a lot of equity in your home. If you owe $75,000 on a home that is worth $125,000, you could refinance the amount you owe and take up to $50,000 in a cash loan against the equity in your house. The money can be used to consolidate debts, do a remodeling project, or even invest. As great as a cash out refinance can be, there are a few things to think about before you decide to take out this type of loan.

How high are the fees to refinance?

Taking out a home equity loan usually costs less in fees than a refinance. Refinancing your home can cost you quite a bit when you consider higher loan fees and the possibility of points. If you already have a good interest rate on your loan, refinancing so that you can get a cash out option, might mean paying a higher interest rate on a new loan. In that situation, you might want to consider taking out a home equity loan instead of a cash out refinance mortgage loan.

How fast do you need the money?

When you take out a home equity loan, it takes less time to see your money. Often, it only takes 5 days to close. Cash out refinance mortgage loans can take a lot longer, so if you need the money immediately, it probably isn’t the best option.

Protect yourself from scam artists.

There are lenders that practice something called loan flipping. They convince you to refinance your house, taking out a bit of equity for a project or two. A few months later they approach you to refinance again, convincing you to take out more cash from the equity in your house. Their scheme is to keep having you refinance, tacking on large fees and possibly increasing your interest rate until you are so far in debt that you end up losing your house. This particular scam has been played against many elderly homeowners with devastating results.

Taking cash against the equity in your house can be a wise move, but always compare taking a cash out refinance mortgage loan against the option of taking out a home equity loan and choose the plan that is best for you.

There are a lot of excuses floating around about why people don’t buy. Maybe you’ve heard some of them: it’s too expensive, it’s not at the top of my “must have” list right now, or even when a deals too good to be true… it’s too good to be true. Customer objections are more easily overcome than you might imagine. Let’s take a look at 3 simple ways to wipe out those objections.

1. It’s Too Expensive.
Don’t be fooled! Most of your customers can get the money to buy the product… it’s not a matter of having enough. Let’s face it… what they’re really saying is that they can get a better deal somewhere else, or a deal that gives them a better value for their buck.

Now, don’t give in to the temptation to drop your prices to “rock bottom” just because you hear them say it’s too expensive. There are ways to wipe out these objections without wiping out your profits!

Make it look like a better deal. I mean, take a really good look at your product. How can you increase the perceived value? Maybe you can add a manual, a CD, or a downloadable book full of information about the product. Let them think they are getting more for their buck, and the deal seems a lot sweeter to them.

Think about this… we all expect to pay more when we visit a specialist. Sure, Wal-Mart is great if we’re looking for a generic product, but when we want something from someone who knows what they’re talking about we head for a market “specialist”… and expect to pay a little more as part of the deal.

How can you become a specialist who demands respect, and can get away with slightly higher prices?

” Find niches within your market to address. Hey, if you look closesly you’ll discover groups within your market that stand out… businessness men and women, young mothers, retirees, etc.

” Dig in, do a little research and figure out exactly how your product relates to the special needs of these niche groups.

” Speak to them as someone in the know. Revise your sales materials to address the specific needs of each group. Let them know you understand what they want and need, and watch your profits skyrocket.

2. I Have More Important Things To Get Right Now.
Yeah, buying now doesn’t seem too important until… the deal’s too sweet to pass up, and you have to get it today to get the deal.

What I’m talking about is banning the option of procrastination. Really what your customer is saying is … I have no reason to buy today. Make the deal irresistible, and put a deadline on it. It’ll spur them into making the purchase a priority, NOW.

3. I’m Skeptical… It’s Too Good To Be True.
Most customers have been burnt by deals that seem too good to be true… they ended up costing more than they were worth. The only way you’ll ever overcome the skepticism is to build a relationship of trust.

Unconditional money back guarantees eliminate the risk of loss, and show the customer that you are truly concerned with their satisfaction.

Let testimonials speak for you. Evidence that you’ve delivered and gained customer satisfaction in the past goes a long way toward banning customer fears.

Be available. Customers feel like everything is okay if they can pick up the phone or send an email and get quick answers to their questions.

It really doesn’t take a lot of rocket science to get through the shell of hard core customers. These 3 tips will get you off to a good start.