by Erik Van Tongerloo

Created on: April 09, 2007   Last Updated: October 10, 2009

At some point in your career chances are you'll be dealing with an unhappy customer. While ideally you want to aim for full customer satisfaction, this is not reality. When a customer becomes dissatisfied you'll have to figure out a way to deal with the situation. It is often a tricky balance because you have to satisfy your customer without hurting your business.

Here are some tips which may help you to handle with a dissatisfied customer:

* Why is your customer dissatisfied?

Every client is important for your business and it is important you take action to make your client satisfied. It is not always possible to fulfill all your clients desires but listening to your client is an important issue. You need to know why your client is unhappy before you can take action to make him/her satisfied.

* Dealing with difficult clients

The attitude of the salesmen is important to satisfy clients. It may happen you have to deal with difficult clients who are unreasonable in their expectations. Maybe they expect delivery the same day or they disagree the payment options; you need always to be polite and courteous and communicate until you get a compromise. You may never think "Losing one difficult client is not important and time can be better spend on satisfied clients" because also this client can promote your business if you succeed to satisfy him/her and you will gain more clients in the future.

* Listen to your client and avoid to become defensive

You need to listen to your client before you can satisfy him/her. You don't need to apologize if he/she gives critics but it is important you understand the problems of your client. You need to search possibilities to develop and offer solutions. It is impossible to fulfill all the desires of all clients but it's essential to show respect and the willpower to solve his/her problems.

* Stay calm and ask questions

Your client is unhappy and you can only satisfy him/her if you stay calm and ask questions about the problems he/she has. Maybe your client is not satisfied about the price he/she paid for the product. It's important you ask questions about all the requirements your client may need. It is possible the product has more features than necessary and the main reason why the price is too high. You can explain the advantages and all the features of the product and offer a cheaper product which fits your client's needs. In some circumstances, for example if you made a mistake, you can offer a discount.

*Discuss why your

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