Redirect Customer Tempers

Some guy, energized by all the news of the weekend’s Mega Millions lottery, buys a two-buck ticket for a relatively minor-league twenty million dollar jackpot. And, against the odds, he wins.
     With great excitement, he rushes to the lottery office, ticket in hand. “I’m here for my twenty million dollars,” he says.
     “It doesn’t work like that,” is the reply. “If we verify your win, we’ll send you a check for one million dollars each year over the next twenty years.”
     The guy can barely control his rage. “Hey, I want my twenty million dollars. That’s what I heard promised. So I want all the winnings right now. And, look, if you can’t give me what I heard you promise me, then give me my two dollars back.”
     Customers can sometimes act in the spirit of that guy, letting their temper dictate disadvantageous actions. Handling an angry consumer requires finesse. The formula for action:

• Let customers express anger in bursts of up to about thirty seconds. This gives you time to understand their points well enough to reply sensibly. Beyond about thirty seconds, people often get more and more wound up.
• Listen attentively. At the onset, resist the urge to interrupt or even to decide what you’ll say. As you get closer to the thirty-second mark, decide what you’d like to reply.
• Avoid interrupting the person in the middle of a sentence. Wait for him to take a breath and then begin to talk. Keep your voice decisive, but calm.
• When the shopping experience itself has been responsible for the consumer’s anger, ask questions like, “What may I do to make things right?” Then decide what action is wisest and either do it or announce when you will do it.
• If you conclude that the customer’s anger is not caused by experiences in your store, say something like, “I treasure our customers’ business, and I’m always looking for ways to improve. What suggestions do you have?”

     Next, efficiently redirect the discussion toward the positive. Findings from research at University of Maryland and Yale University indicate that too much talking will lock into the shopper's mind the bad feelings they're experiencing, and those negative memories make it less likely they'll buy from you in the future.
     On the other hand, when you redirect customers’ temper tantrums, odds are customers will feel indebted to you later, after good sense returns.

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

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Cool Down Customer Temper Tantrums
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