Aggressive Client: Confront… and Defuse

[Mimaktsa10]

Whatever type of trade you are engaged in, sooner or later aggression from the buyer will appear. True, the share of such cases is small: studies cite the figure of 1%. How to act so that an aggressive client moderates his ardor, or even becomes loyal?

Who is an aggressive client and what drives them
First, it is necessary to define what aggression is. It is destructive behavior, the purpose of which is to cause moral or even physical harm to a person. Anger, disrespect, intimidation are at its core.

First, it is worth understanding what caused such behavior on the part of the consumer. And there can be many motives: a difficult day, rudeness in a neighboring store, a desire to quarrel. The reason can also be objective: the absence of goods or the difference in price on the price tag and at the checkout. To find out this, you should first talk to the client .

Who is an aggressive client and what drives them

Steps to Reduce Tension
Calmness and a cool head are what will armenia email lis help in a difficult situation first and foremost. And never take aggression (or even subsequent insults) personally. This will help you pull yourself together and begin to de-escalate the conflict. The following steps should be taken:

Listen to the complaints. Carefully, without interrupting, you should find out the essence of the problem. And determine at this stage: did you really make a mistake, or did the aggressive client just decide to let off steam.
Ask clarifying questions. The main ones sound like this: “Do I understand correctly…?”, “I would like to clarify…?”, “The problem is that…?” etc. Moreover, you need to ask in a calm, friendly tone.
Neutralize aggression. Phrases like: "It's a pity that it happened this way," "I understand you perfectly," "I wouldn't like that either."
Set personal boundaries. If the client resorts to insults, it is worth reminding that such actions will not help resolve the issue: "You can express dissatisfaction, but resorting to insults is unacceptable." And immediately turn the conversation to the sore point.
Offer possible solutions. Explain to the client that you are ready to cooperate and are trying to solve the problem. Emphasize the benefits of the offer. And resolve the issue without delay.
Steps to Reduce Tension

What not to do
It is also necessary to understand what should not be done under any circumstances (otherwise the degree of conflict will increase):

Prove the client wrong. Even if you have a whole list of compelling arguments, an aggressive buyer will not be thrilled with them.
Be rude. Reciprocal rudeness will lead to personal attacks and a scandal.
To be ironic. During disagreements, irony is usually regarded as rudeness.
Raise your voice. Let's not even mention what it looks like to have two people yelling at each other. This is unacceptable behavior from a salesperson.
Show indifference. Yes, aggression should be ignored, but not the client himself, no matter how angry he may be. "Even if you write to the president, we don't care!" is not the best answer. After all, a difficult client will be able to find tools of influence, and the results may not be in your favor.
To curry favor. It is one thing to admit wrongdoing, another to be servile and toady. This irritates the provocateur and further pushes him to attack.
Smile. In the case of confrontation, a smile looks forced. It can easily be interpreted not as a manifestation of friendliness and readiness to solve the problem, but rather as an indicator of guilt, mockery, an irritant.
Violate the distance and especially touch the aggressor. Since it is safer to convince the client to reduce the intensity at a distance, it is better to place a physical barrier, such as a counter, chair or table.