How To Deal With Difficult Clients Without Burning Bridges

People think client services can be an easy task to handle, but they’ve never really learnt how to deal with difficult clients yet.

While it might seem like a pain (and trust me, can be a large pain), learning how to strategically deal with difficult clients is super important for any business.

After all, you want recurring revenue and you eventually want your clients to purchase more, right?

I’m going to attempt to give you some strategic ways to handle those tricky client situations that you haven’t heard elsewhere.

Key Takeaways

• Setting clear expectations from the start can stop problems before they even begin.
• Good communication, like staying calm and trying to understand the other person, helps a lot when things get tough.
• Taking care of yourself and managing stress makes it easier to handle difficult client interactions without burning out.

Importance of Setting Early Expectations

As someone who’s been in the trenches, I can tell you that a little foresight goes a long way in learning how to deal with difficult clients and keeping client relationships smooth.

YOU MUST set things up in your favor so fewer future problems arise in the first place. You need to anticipate as many problems as possible before signing the contract.

You absolutely do not want to not deliver on your promises or find people to blame when these problems arise later on.

Think of it as preventative maintenance for all client interactions.

Setting Extremely Clear Expectations from the Beginning

One of the biggest mistakes I see is not being upfront about what you can and can’t do.

I know you want the contract, and you want to see your ARR soar high for the next Board meeting, but knowing very clearly what you cannot do actually puts you in a more respectable light.

And if you’re ever questioned about what or why you cannot do certain things? Then it’s a matter of what resources or additional costs you need in order to do it. Instead of saying “yes” to things, but not being able to deliver on them later.

Always make sure to have a detailed discussion about scope, timelines, and deliverables right at the beginning.

What Should Be Within The Expectations?

Most importantly, what is spelled out should not only be limited to your onboarding phase, but should be applicable throughout the entirety of the contract.

Although these may seem like a contractual or legal responsibilities, I can assure you that it is absolutely not. Operations understands the limitations of operations best. Engineering understands the limitations of engineering best. Protecting your company requires a holistic view and legal is the glue to hold it and enforce it, but not to be the magic wand that solves all your client issues.

Therefore, legal can create the baseline and structure, but you have to include the specifics, that consists of the following, but are not limited to:

• Response times and SLAs
  • Does your company also agree to the SLAs laid out by the client?
  • Define what constitutes each SLA, specifically, and come to an agreement.
  • Define the actions to be taken for each SLA (this can come back and bite you if you don’t define them early).
• Meeting schedules and cadences
  • Be detailed and specify the meeting cadences with the relevant departments if you agree to these.
• Preferred methods of communication (you don’t want them WhatsApping your personal number when there’s email or Slack for normal communications)
• Clearly state the deliverables
• Clearly state the duration of deliverables
• State that requests that are beyond the contract terms will have to undergo the following:
  • Clearly articulate the process of how these requests will be assessed. The process and assessment period can differ based on the department that is required to assess it. For example, Client Services may require a shorter assessment duration as compared to Engineering.
  • And that these requests will all be priced according to your assessment. Pro tip: If during the contract, you decide not to price a specific request, this is a bonus for the client, but must never be expected from them.
• What is deemed as an escalation by your company?
• How does exit management look for your company?
  • What are your terms of exit management and what is specifically provided?

Cementing Boundaries Formally

If you’re serious about your business, don’t take the above loosely. Cement them into the contract or contract addendums that has to be agreed upon by both parties.

Formality may be tough at the beginning, but it creates a sustainable business where you work with clients that you want to work with and that you naturally do not mind over-delivering for.

Always make sure to define your working hours, communication preferences, and the types of requests that you can accommodate. It’s also important to be upfront about any additional fees for work that falls outside the original scope.

Remember, you’re better off saying no than being desperate. Because people can smell desperation from a mile away, and difficult clients may take advantage of that.

As a company or individual person, it’s about protecting your well-being and ensuring you can continue to provide quality service.

Because if the quality of your service suffers, that’s the worst.

Dealing With Unprofessionalism

This is something I learned the hard way and unfortunately many others have learnt the hard way as well.

Oftentimes, attrition in client services roles or the closure of service-based businesses can eventually be traced back to this.

Because dealing with unprofessionalism can eliminate ambition faster than anything else.

It’s easy to get caught up in trying to please your clients, but you can’t let them walk all over you.

• If a difficult client is requesting something of you urgently and is placing unwarranted or extreme pressure to get it from you, but this is not your decision:
  • Then state clearly that you do not have authority in deciding this and that this needs to be escalated to your boss, and it requires the approval of someone higher up. The client can either choose to escalate this or you can escalate this on behalf of the client.
    • This ensures that you do not succumb to the premeditated acts of pressure that are thrust upon you and that you act within your decision-making power. And that you do not make decisions that impact your company negatively.
• If a difficult client verbally twists words to gaslight, imply, or toss responsibility for something:
  • Mention that this will have to be written in an email and sent to your wider company for approval, and that the client will be cc’ed in the loop. Frame the above as though their feedback is critical and you would like your company to do something about it, but primarily, your intention is to ensure that:
    • This enforces accountability from the client to showcase a professional demeanor, and that such reframing, blame-passing, or intentional distortions would be made transparent for all to see, is not condoned and will be investigated.

You may not be able to tell off a client, but having strategic fallback options like the above not only protects your time and energy but also enforces more respect for you in the long run.

Don’t forget your professional demeanor when doing the above!

Effective Communication in Challenging Situations

Communication can make or break a client relationship, especially when things get tough.

I’ve learned that how I communicate during stressful times is just as important as what I communicate.

Maintaining Composure Under Pressure

It’s easy to get flustered when a client is upset, but staying calm is key.

Don’t take it personally. Repeat this again. And again.

If I start to feel overwhelmed, I remind myself that the client is likely frustrated with the situation, not necessarily with me personally.

• Do not respond immediately with the first few thoughts in your head.
• Try to speak slowly and clearly, avoiding any defensive language.

These can help me avoid saying something I’ll regret and keep the conversation productive.

Balancing The Client’s Perspective

Truly understanding where a client is coming from can diffuse a lot of tension.

I try to practice active listening, which means paying close attention to what they’re saying, asking clarifying questions, and acknowledging their need for certain things.

However, although understanding their perspective is critical, it also needs to be balanced against your company’s resources, abilities, commitments, constraints, and plans.

• Offer a lengthier explanation of why something cannot be done.
  • Short explanations may seem as though not much concern or attention was given to an issue
• Offer an escalation route to higher decision-makers if the need is really critical and the client is not accepting what you’re saying.

Building Resilience in Client Relations

Client relations can be tough. It’s not always smooth sailing, and sometimes, you need to bounce back from difficult situations.

For me, building resilience is about preparing myself mentally and emotionally to handle the ups and downs.

• Cut off all client communications past a certain hour.
  • You need the mental capacity to focus on your own personal or family pursuits.
• Take breaks throughout the day where necessary.
  • If you don’t, you’ll hit burnout fast and not be able to work entirely.
• Utilize your vacation days where necessary to give yourself a mental time-off
• Speak to people about your work.
  • Join communities online where you can post under a pseudonym with no personal details attached or speak to loved ones.

The Importance of Self-Awareness

It’s important to remember that you can’t pour from an empty cup.

Taking care of yourself is not selfish; it’s essential for providing the best possible service to my clients.

When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I remind myself that it’s okay to take a step back and recharge.

This allows me to provide for my clients and company with a clear, calm and strategic mind – which is the ultimate asset.

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to just get rid of a tough client, or keep them around and complain to everyone.

But there’s a better way. You can set some clear rules so you don’t attract more like them, and learn how to handle those tricky situations.

When you get good at dealing with difficult clients, your business relationships will get better. Plus, your business will grow and do well.

If you want some personal advice on handling clients and making your business bigger, I’m here to help. I can give you custom plans to deal with those challenging clients and build a good business or jump right into your business and do it for you.

So, did you ever turn a bad client situation around? How’d you do it? I’d love to hear your story for a future article, so let me know!

Frequently Asked Questions