Search Results for: blog coping with moody customers

What I Love About a Home Business—Not Having to Deal with Crabby, Moody Co-workers

One of the realities of working in a traditional job with an office full of co-workers, is that one often has to put up with moodiness, crabbiness and other behaviors from our co-workers. Sure, it can be character-building and help us develop tolerance and appreciation for the differences in other people, but when one is working from her own home-based business—this is not as big of a factor. Okay, so we still have to deal with moody customers or clients and we might even also be coping with our crabby children during the work day—but all in all, we are … Continue reading →

Coping with Skeptics

I don’t know about you, but I have a healthy dose of skepticism as part of my personality–especially when it comes to parting with my hard-earned money and making purchases. I suppose I am what could be called a cautious and skeptical consumer. In our home businesses, many of us may have more than our fair share of skeptical consumers and it can take some time and care to learn how to deal with them. Try not to covet a negative opinion of skeptics. If you accept that many customers and clients are going to come at things from a … Continue reading →

Let Customers Know You Are Working FOR Them

Sure, as home business owners, we are working for ourselves. We are also working to support our families and build a solid future. But, if we let too much of that reality and not enough of the working-for-the-customer come through in our dealings with clients and customers, we won’t have those clients and customers for very long… If you really think about it, there is a good chance that you are working for your customers and you are keeping their welfare and best interest in mind as you go about building your business. This should not be a bit secret! … Continue reading →

Coping with Moody Customers

While we would like to think that business transactions can be accomplished calmly between consulting adults–we also know that isn’t always the case. People, being people, bring their emotions and general moodiness to the table whether they are customers, clients, colleagues, or vendors. As a small business owner, you may find yourself challenged by needing to be able to cope with some unpleasant and moody customers… Rule number one for coping with moody customers–don’t take it on. Do not let yourself get sucked into the drama of someone else’s moods. This doesn’t mean that you cannot be compassionate and sympathetic. … Continue reading →

The Abusive Customer or Client

I have written about coping with challenging customers and clients and different ways that we may have to deal with less-than-idea interactions in our home businesses. Every once in a while, however, we may get one of those customers-from-hell who is so verbally abusive, so mean, and so challenging, that it may be all we can do to maintain composure while we try to deal with them. I have to remind myself that I do not have to tolerate verbal abuse from individuals while I’m working. It can be tough since I genuinely want to diffuse any disagreements and I … Continue reading →

People Who Take up More Than a Fair Share of Your Time (and Energy)

I recently came back from a work event that I had coordinated and organized. As usual, there were about a dozen individuals out of over two hundred that seemed to be at my side or in front of my face throughout the entire event asking me one question after another. Whether they were asking for favors, clarification, or just wanting to share their opinions with me, they definitely consumed more than their fair share of my time and energy. In our home business operations, we all have those customers and clients who tend to demand far more of our time … Continue reading →

Dealing with Different Standards

Standards and expectations can play a big part in our customer relations. Even if we think we have high standards, we may very well be facing a different set of standards as we work with different clients and customers. Finding a common ground and having the tact not to offend anyone is one of the customer service and relationship issues that come with the small business territory. I find that it does not matter how high I think my work standards are, there are always going to be those who have higher ones. AND, there are going to be those … Continue reading →

Are You Offering Professional or Personal Advice?

In a small business—especially a small, home-based business where we may be the only “employee”—we often develop very personal relationships with our clients and customers. As a matter of fact, many of our customers or clients may actually be friends or family members in addition to forming a professional relationship with us. It is a good idea, however, to try to put some separation between the professional side of your relationship and the personal one… The problem with having too much overlap between the professional side of your relationships with clients and customers and the personal one is that you … Continue reading →