By Mike Dandridge

The customer leaned across the counter. “You mean I spend thousands of dollars in here, and I can’t return a defective tool?” he said.
“Well, the tool isn’t really defective,” replied the counter salesperson.
“So you’re calling me a liar?”
The customer now had everyone’s attention. His loud voice and aggressive manner caused some of the other customers to look at one another and roll their eyes as if to convey the silent message, Oh, one of those difficult people.
It was my first week at the counter, and I was leaning toward the customer’s point of view.
My colleague continued the fight. “No, I’m not calling you a liar. This is simply normal wear of the tool. It’s against the manufacturer’s policy to refund for normal wear and tear.”
I was now completely on the customer’s side.
The customer didn’t reply immediately, and a silence fell across the room. He straightened up, slowly scanned the other customers, and said in a clear voice said, “People only come here as a last resort.”
He turned on the heels of his work boots and marched out of the store. As soon as the door closed, you could feel the air come back into the room. People chuckled rather nervously. Someone said, “Guess it takes all kinds.”
“That guy’s always a pain,” said my co-worker.
And that was the real issue. A different customer would have received a new tool, no questions asked, but because this particular customer wore the “difficult” label, it became his self-fulfilling prophecy to get bad customer service.
Difficult customers

Some people aren’t happy unless they’re unhappy. These are the volatile handful known as “difficult customers.” Constantly looking for a flaw in your service, they’ll take advantage of your policies by making requests that sometimes border on the absurd. More importantly, though, they will teach you how to deliver the customer service you promise. You can learn more from the difficult customer than you could ever learn from your most loyal customers. Difficult customers tell you where it hurts.
Listen closely and they will tell you what is missing from your business. They might even suggest what you can do about it. Their feedback can be the most brutal and the most honest gauge of your success. People only come here as a last resort.
If you have an abundance of difficult customers, it isn’t because you’re unlucky. It’s because you’re doing something wrong. The sooner you figure out what it is and fix it, the sooner you will bring your business back from the precipice of disaster.
True, there will be an occasional customer who has no valid reason to complain but moans and groans anyway. Most of the time, you can resolve the legitimate complaint and the absurd demand. Handling difficult customers may be your biggest challenge in living up to the promise you make of great service. Having a procedure in place for all of your staff to follow is the most effective way to handle this challenge. Here is a four-step plan that may be helpful for dealing with the legitimate customer complaint and even the occasional difficult customer.
1. Never Argue.
This seems to be the toughest rule for distributor salespeople to accept, so let’s repeat it, “Never argue.” Even if you win, you lose. Did the counter salesperson in the example win? The customer really did spend thousands of dollars in the store, and he never came back. Who won?
2. Listen Between the Lines.
Is there an underlying message to your customer’s complaint? Does he feel cheated, ignored or unappreciated? Mentioning that he spent thousands of dollars probably indicated he felt under-appreciated.
3. Appeal to Your Customer’s Sense of Fair Play.
Let the customer know that you trust him enough to do what’s fair and right. A question you can use that takes the fire out of most irate customers is, “What would make this right?” If you appeal to a customer’s nobler motives, most of the time he will live up to your expectation. What a different outcome it could’ve been if the counter salesperson had asked this question, instead of stating that the tool wasn’t defective.
4. Tell the Customer what you can do.
Never say, “That’s against company policy.” If someone in authority within your company tells you to say that, then you need to reconsider your career with that company. Most customers don’t like rules. Suggest alternatives. The counter salesperson could have been the hero if he’d said, “The manufacturer’s policy states that they won’t replace this tool. However, that’s not our policy. Let me see what we can work out.”
Talk is cheap

Most business owners promise great customer service, but how many actually live up to the talk? Your customers don’t care what you have to say. They’re watching to see what you do. The limiting factor for most of us is that we don’t practice what we preach. Then, when a customer calls us on it, we group him into the “hard-to-please” bunch.
The truth is, no matter how good your customer service, there will always be someone who is unhappy about something. The more unhappy customers you turn into happy customers, the more word will spread that you deliver the great service you promise while others only talk about it. The best advice ever given to me for dealing with a difficult customer was this: “Keep your temper — and, above all, let your customer save face.”

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How to Calm a Difficult Customer

When dealing with difficult customers, there are words that calm and words that tend to exacerbate unpleasant customer conflicts. Review this list, and try to remember to go the calming route when dealing with difficult customers.
Avoid trigger words: Use calming words:
It’s not our policy. Here’s what we can do.
Can’t. Can.
Sorry. Thank you.
I don’t know. I will find out.
But… And…
You should have… I understand why you…
The only thing I can do… The best option, I think, is…

Source: http://ewweb.com/sales/electric_difficult_customers/

The best hotels outside Manila in Pampanga and Subic are listed here including a beach resort which is a semi-private establishment located in the central business district near shopping, business, entertainment, airport and other conveniences of Philippines Clark Freeport Zone. The beach resorts, leisure parks and vacation hotels in Clark Pampanga offer a unique ambience that supports a laidback relaxing lifestyle. Many visitors travel north to Clark Pampanga from Manila to unwind and relax in these resorts.

This Pampanga resort hotel is different from other hotels in Clark Philippines or hotel in Angeles City. This Clark Hotel has large outdoor space for children to play and adults to enjoy some peace and quiet in the picnic grounds near the lake. Guests like the Hotel’s café breakfast garden which serves the best breakfast in Pampanga. Clearwater Resort has nice ambience and wide space, much better than the other hotels in Angeles City and Manila Philippines.

Traffic along the North Expressway NLEX from Manila to Clark is always light and the new Subic Tarlac Clark Expressway ScTex takes visitors straight into Clark Freeport without going through any towns and cities along the way.

Many guests like staying at Clearwater Family Inn Hotel Room in the picnic grounds of this resort in Clark Pampanga. Some like the trees in the resort camping grounds. One can stay in other hotels in Angeles City but it is not often one finds amenities and ambience like Clark, not like Clearwater Resort in Angeles City Philippines.

Those who are lucky enough to get a room at this lake resort in Clark Philippines will be able to enjoy the magical sunrise across the lake of Clearwater Resort at dawn. This is the only hotel in Clark Pampanga that guests can really enjoy viewing sunrise.

For information as well as assistance with reservations in hotels and resorts in Pampanga, Clark Philippines, click here to contact HotelClarkPhilippines now

Or call us at

Hotel Clark Philippines
Creekside Road corner of Centennial Road,
Central Business District, Clark Freeport Zone,
Pampanga, Philippines 2023

Tel: (045)599-5949 0917-520-4403 0922-870-5177

Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay

http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com

Email: Info@ClarkPhilippines.com

Getting to this hotel in Clark Philippines
After entering Clark Freeport from Subic, Manila, Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along Clark’s main highway MA Roxas, passing Clark’s largest wine shop called Clark Wine Center on your right, continue to bear right making no turns at all, go past Mimosa Leisure Estate on the opposite side of the road, you will hit a major intersection. Go straight and the road becomes Creekside Road. YATS Clearwater Resort and Country Club is on your right just 200m down. Traffic in Clark Philippines is light so it should be quite easy for get to this hotel in Clark Philippines.

To inquire with the beach resort hotel in Clark Pampanga visit http://www.ClearwaterPhililippines.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a HK-based developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine outlets http://www.YatsLeisure.com