Remon Talks

If you run a business, no matter the size of it, you will at some point face bad customers.

There are several reasons why having bad customers is not good, here’s a few;

• They waste your time in several ways
• No matter what you try or do, it’s never good enough
• They love leaving negative reviews of your product or service
• They usually want free <fill in>
• They often cost more then you’re earning from them

So how do you deal with this kind of customer? Simple; you don’t.  As a business owner your goal is to make profit, the more, the better (usually). However, you shouldn’t just accept ANY customer, no matter how desperate you are for clients.

The bad customers will never increase your profit with significant proportions, even worse, if there’s one tiny little thing they don’t like they start spreading bad word of mouth in an instant in as many places as possible, thus costing you more business.

Avoiding bad customers

So how do you avoid attracting bad customers? It’s easy when we look at the profile of a bad customer:

• They want free stuff, more expensive = better
• They don’t behave normal in conversations (yelling, namecalling, disrespecting etc.)
•  They expect you to treat them like you’re most important customer
• They’re cheap

No idea how to avoid them yet? It’s simple, don’t try to attract customers by giving away (expensive) free stuff. If people like your product or service, they will buy. The free gift doesn’t matter.

If a (potential) customer is disrespecting you or an employee end the contract. You may lose a few bucks worth of business but don’t let anyone act like this. It’s not respectful and should never be accepted.

If a customer demands special treatment, ie. by emailing you every minute, calling you during off-hours etc., tell them they have to be patient because you have more things to do then being their personal assistant. If they keep doing it you may end their contract, or not if you’re okay with their behaviour.

In my webhosting biz I also noticed that I gained better customers when I raised the prices. When I used low prices I got many (cheap) clients but they were also the worst clients you can wish for. They’re also “hoppers”, once they find a competitor that’s $0.02 cheaper a year they’ll switch over. Don’t go low-budget with your prices, no matter what your product or service is.

Turning a bad customer in a good customer 

If you had some company problems, or made a mistake causing customers to turn bad or unhappy, do everything you can to make them happy again. This is only true if they were good customers but you screwed something up.

You can send them a small postcard with your excuses, or send them flowers, offer them a discount on they’re favorite product or refund some money. It all depends on your type of business. Even a simple phone conversation can work wonders.

Good customers are worth their weight in gold. If something goes wrong, they stay loyal to you. If your competitor is lowering his prices, they stay loyal to you.  They’re also not demanding, usually very quiet. They’re willing to pay a premium for a good product or service, and if they like you they will recommend you to their family and friends.  A bad customer does none of this, they’re worthless and make you feel bad. Lose them if you can.

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