“I’d fix it myself but…” Identifying and Managing the Difficult Customer

During the entirety of my training to become a social worker and eventually a psychotherapist, I never imagined that I would be using those skills in the capacity of customer relations as a small business owner running my own guitar repair shop. Yet here I am. And let me tell you, it has been a struggle at times.

Like many (most?) of you, I am a pleaser and I thrive on doing an excellent job and being recognized for that work. My biggest button is being told that I don’t care, and my most uncomfortable and anxiety-provoking moments start with customers who are not happy with my work. I’ve learned a lot in 10 years about how to deal with these situations and I credit The Looth Group and also my wife, Michelle, with helping me get a better handle on how best to avoid bad interactions. My experience working as a psychotherapist has helped me as well, and I’m here to pass on some of that to you. I’ll be taking an even deeper dive into this topic in a series of discussions as host of The Looth Group’s ongoing meeting called Health and Wellness For Looths. I’ll be interviewing and talking with certain members of our group who also have ideas and techniques to share on the topic of “difficult customers/relationship management.” Many of us would prefer to never have to speak to customers at all and certainly to eliminate the most difficult ones if possible. Running a shop is not easy. Let’s make it a bit less stressful.

There are some customers who are tough, but not awful. We can usually manage them. We don’t love it when they bring us work, but we also don’t lose sleep over their visits. Then there are the ones who cause us much more angst. The ones who are sane enough to warrant a conversation, which leads to an intake visit to discuss the work they need, during which they reveal themselves to be much more trouble than initially seemed to be the case. Let’s talk about how to spot them and what to do once they’ve been spotted.

First, trust your gut. Reasonable customers are easy to recognize. They are friendly, demonstrate empathy and relatability, and most of all show a clear recognition and respect for our time, talent, and hard work. If your gut identifies a person who does not within a short time show the traits of a good customer, then it’s time to begin a “suitability assessment.” If the customer seems to have trouble grasping that your shop is a for-profit business and not a public service designed to help musicians in need, bad sign. Other bad signs include: