104 - The 5 C’s of Dealing with Difficult Clients with Allison Tyler Jones

<p dir="ltr">We’ve all had experiences and interactions with clients that have made us question our career choice. These interactions might leave us frustrated, angry, upset, or just plain defeated. We replay these interactions over and over again to figure out where we went wrong. After all, we’re in the happy business. Why would anyone get mad at us? Aren’t we just doing what we can to make our clients happy? </p> <p dir="ltr">No matter what, it is inevitable to have conflict at some point in your career. So, since we know that difficult clients are a possibility, let’s be prepared. There are ways to expect and prepare for these interactions, ways to manage conflict, and ways to improve our client relationships. And I call them the 5 C’s of Dealing with Difficult Clients.</p> <p dir="ltr">In this episode, you’ll learn how to:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Define what “difficult” is and what it isn’t</li> <li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Manage expectations to avoid conflict and misunderstandings</li> <li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Handle unexpected conflicts and preserve the client relationship</li> </ul> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Here’s a glance at this episode:</strong></p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" role="presentation">[2:51] - Take a moment to define “difficult” and what “difficult” is not.</li> <li dir="ltr" role="presentation">[4:24] - Don’t confuse different with difficult.</li> <li dir="ltr" role="presentation">[5:34] - To Allison, someone who is difficult is rude, condescending, will not play by the rules, or someone who is not going to be happy no matter what.</li> <li dir="ltr" role="presentation">[6:15] - The 5 C’s are clarity, consultation, conversation, confrontation, and closure.</li> <li dir="ltr" role="presentation">[8:17] - Regarding clarity, the biggest mistake being made in the industry is posting an image on social media without any context.</li> <li dir="ltr" role="presentation">[8:59] - Allison’s consultation process is designed to get potential clients on the phone to have a conversa