#248 Never Apologize – 5 Steps to Convert a Pissed off Customer

Notes:

As Sales Engineers, dealing with people is part of our job. Even if our products are great, we cannot assure that things will go well a hundred percent of the time. Sometimes, we will encounter a pissed-off customer. What should you do if you are placed in a position where you must confront an angry customer?

In this episode of We the Sales Engineers Podcast, I share with you a talk I recently delivered at SAP Customer Experience through the invitation of Jan-Erik Jank. The talk is entitled “Never Apologize: Five Steps to Convert a Pissed Off Customer.” In this episode, I provide you with the most critical steps you could take to handle difficult and potentially frustrating customer situations with the goal of saving your partnership with your customer.

Eight Ignored Skills That Sales Engineers Should Have:

Why breathing is important before engaging with an angry customer
How much time to wait before engaging with a customer complaint
Why telling someone to calm down when they are pissed off does not work
Why labeling an angry customer’s feelings could help you handle the situation better
How to show empathy to an angry customer
How to assure a frustrated customer that their problems will be taken cared of
Several things you can promise to a frustrated customer
When and why you should never apologize
Why it is important to treat customers as partner

Quotes:

I showed a lot of empathy to my customer, but I did not agree with anything that he said. — Ramzi Marjaba

Breathe, don’t forget to breathe. And pause. — Ramzi Marjaba

The reason I don’t like apologizing is because it puts us on the defensive, whether we’re right or wrong. — Ramzi Marjaba

Never apologizing is not about, “Hey, I’m always right.” No, sometimes you’re wrong. Sometimes bad things happen. But in the end, you and the customer are working together towards the same goal. And that’s what I tell my customers. — Ramzi Marjaba

If my customer is not successful, they’re not going to call me again whenever they need something. So I really want them to be successful. — Ramzi Marjaba