Turning Complainers into Customers

If you don't already know this, learn it now: Complaints are opportunities! Complaints, or rather how you handle them, can build your business as quickly as any effective form of advertising.

Complaints are all too easily ignored on the Internet. After all, you'll never likely be face-to-face with the complainer. Most complaints will fade off into the sunset of cyberspace if left unattended. Sad fact is, far too many companies simply let this happen as a matter of policy. Hence, the still-valid fear of purchasing over the Internet. Please don't make the mistake of letting the impressive growth statistics fool you. Internet sales stats I estimate would be double those being reported if the majority of businesses had not only fair and efficient, but GREAT customer policies and service!!

THE NATURE OF COMPLAINTS
Complaints are just a normal part of conducting business and are often accompanied by the emotional state of the customer known simply as anger. Even if the customer is not genuinely angry, he is certainly disappointed. But we'll take the extreme situation here to demonstrate how you can create a whole lot more than goodwill by the proactive handling of complaints from angry customers.

I learned how to turn tragedy into triumph many years ago while owning and operating a successful multi-store drycleaning business. We made mistakes and either lost or damaged customer garments. In almost all cases, I swear, it was their "favorite" when the claim was presented. In many cases it was as if we had lost or harmed their child!

KINDNESS KILLS ANGER
Many of these complaints were presented in a state of anger. My staff was 'trained' to diffuse the anger with kindness and a sympathetic ear (even if it was fake). Why? Well, kindness kills anger--instantly! As is human nature, the angered party is fully expecting a like-reaction or at least resistance from you, and when she receives kindness as that reaction, it throws her. Big time! How else can the customer react when he is assured in a kind and caring tone that the problem will be dealt with in a fair and quick manner? It's impossible to stay angry with you!

BEWARE - CONTROL THYSELF!
It is almost impossible NOT to get riled and defensive about your business and integrity when attacked. Simple human nature. But it doesn't matter if you are 100% in the right--if you allow yourself to sink to the customer's level of anger, great damage can be done. All of us have said things in a state of anger we completely regret. The moment you allow someone to change your emotions, you no longer control the situation.

It is imperative that you remain in control of your emotions so that you can turn the situation into a positive one!

Simply, and again, kill anger with kindness. Smother the flames, immediately rectify the problem and if you are at fault (even if not) give your customer something of value at no charge as a "measure" of your knowing what inconvenience you caused.

KNOW WHY?
You have now created what I refer to as a "lifer." A lifer is a customer who has experienced the kind of service and personal attention that is sorely missing from most businesses, Internet or not. The 'convert' you just created is someone who now has the utmost confidence in the integrity of your business. Trust me, he will now scream it from the hilltops!

Look at it this way. They're going to be screaming something to all their family, friends and business contacts anyway. Better it be praise and a referral than a slur, loss of reputation and future sales.

WORD-OF-MOUTH-ADVERTISING . . .

. . . is the most powerful form of advertising on or off the Internet!

How do I know this works? Simple. In almost 20 years of running my dry-cleaning business I never had a single complaint registered with the Better Business Bureau in my trading area of over 300,000. Not one! Each time we successfully resolved a complaint, customers were given a business-card coupon that stated:

To err is human
To forgive divine
So please forgive us
And come back next time . . .
And use this coupon worth $10.00 valid on your next dry-cleaning order.

The absolute beauty of handling complaints in the above manner is that it truly turns tragedy into triumph! Plus, it makes the experience of handling customer complaints a pleasurable task and an opportunity for future sales and growth.

IS THE CUSTOMER ALWAYS RIGHT?
Nope! Some customers can be downright pains in the proverbial butt, but they ARE the customers and if we want them, their family, their friends, and their business associates to buy from us, well you know what to do now.

And speaking of difficult customers, I can't help but close this article with a few famous quotes on the subject of complaints:

There are some people who knock the pyramids because they don't have elevators.
Jim Ferree

It is the growling man who lives a dog's life.
Coleman Cox

And my favorite:

Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.
Benny Hill

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