Let's face it, when it comes to selling products and services to people, not everyone is going to be happy. Our job is to make sure that people are satisfied with their purchase, but there are those people out there who, know matter what you do for them, will never be pleased.
The root of all of this is the adage that says "The customer is always right." We know that this is not the case. Telling people they are wrong or "misinformed" is hard to do, especially when the customer sincerely believes they are right.
When I sell insurance I go over a lot of information, maybe too much. That is part of the job because the majority of my clients really are not insurance experts. They know what they have been told by their family or friends.
For instance, I had a grown man, probably in his 40's, who only bought whole life insurance because "that's what my father bought". We did the math and figured out how much coverage he needed. When I looked at his budget the whole life was not a viable solution. Trying to be helpful, I suggested we split it up with some term to fit his budget but he thought I was trying to scam him somehow.
Then there are the people who only hear what they want to hear. Those are the ones who later on will come back and say "You never told me that" when there is a problem. That's why it is especially important for you to document as much of a conversation as possible. After you meet with someone, take some notes, date it and keep it in a file. Yes, it sounds like extra work but the "CYA" method always helps.
One of my favorite stories in this vein goes back to the days when I sold car insurance. I was working for a company that sold to a "substandard" market, which means the customers had issues with bad credit, bad driving records and many DUI's. As to be expected, they were turned away by the "good" insurance companies, and we deemed them the "cream of the crap."
One afternoon a lady (I'll use that term loosely) came in to pay her insurance. She was past due and I let her know she would have to make another payment soon to keep her on schedule. She got a little mouthy with me as she wrote me a check for the current payment.
A couple of weeks went by when she returned madder than a puffed toad. She had gotten a notice from the DMV that her insurance had lapsed and they were charging her $5 for each day she drove uninsured.
"I paid you!" she screamed. "You don't know how to do your job!"
Within a few minutes I found out that her check had bounced. Honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed letting her know this. She continued berating me because "I wrote you a check and you took it!", implying that my acceptance of her bad check somehow put the onus on me. I let her have it.
"You did indeed write me a check, but the check was only as good as the money in the bank. And since there wasn't enough money in the bank, you only gave me a worthless piece of paper. For that worthless piece of paper, you got NO INSURANCE. That's how life works."
She didn't like this explanation and repeated something about me not knowing how to do my job correctly. I went low. "I don't come to your job and jump up and down on the end of the bed. If you want to pay for your insurance, do so or get out. I have people waiting to pay for their insurance."
She left, unhappy. I documented my discussion (sans the part about her employment) just in case.
If you have a great story about a bad client, feel free to share it in the comments.
Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
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