Patrick Copell

Patrick Copell has been in the floor covering industry for 10 years. He has been to countless sales and flooring seminars and conventions. Flooring and sales are his life, and he takes great pride in helping others acheive their full potential in this business. The great thing about sales advice is that it can be used in ANY field, and in most cases can also be used in life. he was born and raised in Oregon, until recently when he moved up to Anchorage, AK. Sales knows no boundaries or temperatures. Patrick is married with 3 children.

View all articles by Patrick Copell
Having trouble handling complaints?
Think you can do better?
Here are some tips.
Hear it out - Let the customer get it off their chest. Let them relieve some stress first, and then you can concentrate on getting to the actual resolution to the problem. Plus, the more they talk, the more concerns you will hear, and be able to figure how to deal with it.

Avoid an argument - Even if the complaint is groundless, do not make an issue of it. Complaints are not resolved to mutual satisfaction in a controversial environment.

Avoid meaningless excuses - They do nothing to resolve the situation. If the complaint is valid, and the fault is yours, then admit it, with no alibis. Assure the customer you will get the facts, and do your best to resolve it.

Don't let the complaints linger - the longer they go unresolved, the more friction there is. And they can get more serious as time goes by.

You’re still selling - When you get to the solution, you are re-establishing the value of your service.

It is true that I sometimes HOPE something small will go wrong. Sometimes I look for it. If a job goes well, with no problems, the client can sometimes EXPECT it. So it turns out maybe a few of their family and friends just may get the word I do good work.
But when something goes wrong, and I handle it right away, run out to the home to inspect, propose a solution, and resolve the problem on the spot, then a lot of client DO NOT expect that. And that can stick in their minds more than a perfectly smooth job. And you better believe their family and friends will hear about it.

Don't get me wrong, I would not TRY to make things go wrong, but this helps me not be afraid to ask how the client like my products or service or installers, because any customer objections are an opportunity, not a problem.
In fact they are far from being problems. If your in the right mindset.

DISCUSS IN THE FORUMS