Five Strategies for Dealing with Difficult Clients

"I'm sorry, but I can't afford to pay for individual coaching," the customer said. They had joined your self-study experience with group coaching and were interested in the higher level that offered individual coaching. "Can you coach me until I make the money and then I will pay you back?"

You hesitated. You wanted to help this customer, but you also didn't want to lose out on potential income. Plus, this customer was a friend of a friend. "I don't know..."

The customer could tell that you were conflicted and they pleaded with you. "Please! I'll do anything! Just coach me until I can afford to pay you back."

In the end, you agreed.

Then the nightmare began.

In this blog post, we will discuss 5 strategies for dealing with difficult clients.

• The first strategy is to be clear about what you will and will not do. When the customer made their initial request, you should have been clear about your policy. If you had said "no" from the beginning, this situation would have been avoided.

• The second strategy is to set boundaries. It is important to be clear about what you are willing to do and what you are not willing to do. In this case, you could have set a boundary by saying that you were only willing to coach the customer for a certain amount of time or for a certain number of sessions.

• The third strategy is to be firm with your decision. Once you have made a decision, it is important to stick with it. If you had been firm with your decision from the beginning, the customer would have known that there was no chance of you changing your mind.

• The fourth strategy is to be consistent. If you make a decision, it is important to follow through with it. In this case, if you had said that you were only going to coach the customer for a certain amount of time, you should have stuck to that and not agreed to extend the coaching when they asked.

• The fifth strategy is to communicate clearly. It is important to be clear about your expectations and what you are willing to do. In this case, you could have been clear about your policy from the beginning and communicated it to the customer before they made their request.

By following these strategies, you can avoid difficult situations with clients and protect yourself from potential harm.

WHEN AND HOW TO FIRE A CLIENT

If you find yourself in a situation where a client is being difficult, take a step back and assess the situation. By using these strategies, you can diffuse the situation and prevent it from escalating. If the situation does escalate, you may find yourself in a position where you need to fire the client.

While it is never an easy decision, there are times when firing a client is the best option. If a client is abusive, if they are constantly demanding more than what was agreed upon, or if they are putting your business at risk, then it may be time to let them go.

Firing a client can be a difficult and emotional decision, but it is important to remember that you are running a business and you have to do what is best for your business.

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to fire a client, here are some tips on how to do it:

- Be clear about your decision

- Be firm with your decision

- Communicate clearly

- Put it in writing

By following these tips, you can protect yourself and your business when firing a client. Please share in the comment section the strategy that you feel most comfortable weaving into your standard operating procedure's?