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OESA Young Leadership Council Having Effective Difficult Customer Conversations

OESA Young Leadership Council Having Effective Difficult Customer Conversations. Tom Doescher, President, Doescher Advisors. Have any of you experienced a difficult conversation? With a boss or co-worker? With your spouse or children? With a customer? Think of a situation.

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OESA Young Leadership Council Having Effective Difficult Customer Conversations

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  1. OESA Young Leadership CouncilHaving Effective Difficult Customer Conversations Tom Doescher, President, Doescher Advisors

  2. Have any of you experienced a difficult conversation? • With a boss or co-worker? • With your spouse or children? • With a customer? Think of a situation. • Focus on what you have control over and remember that usually the customer has the final say: • OEM story. • Know yourself. • You can make a bad situation worse. • It is an art and a science.

  3. 1. Get Your Game Face On • Do you really want the customer? • Be alert to what may become a “Big Problem”: • Assume you will lose the customer if you don’t fix the problem. • Think fire alarm! • Be extremely engaged (i.e. LISTEN). • Assess whether you should move quickly or delay. Sometimes time will only make matters worse, while other times appropriately dragging your feet is best.

  4. 2. Prepare Your Game Plan • Do your homework on the issue (s). • Most customers like options. • Hone in on the real issue (the customer must haves). • Identify who specifically at the customer is at risk or will have a problem (e.g. will someone be embarrassed?) • Once you have determined the facts and preliminarily summarize your assessment, develop a clear, precise communications plan: • Be careful what you say and how you say it. • Script out your conversations. • Use neutral statements and words.

  5. 3. Practice Makes Perfect • Remember that these situations are often emotional. • Establish rational, logical arguments but also sympathize with and acknowledge the customer point of view. • Rehearse your communications with another colleague or if appropriate bring someone else into the discussion to help deliver the message. • Keep a dialogue with your best problem solvers as you gain more information and look for a compromise.

  6. 4. Game Time • Do • Increase your time with the top customer contacts. • Be an active listener, take notes (send the message you are working to understand and help). • Be empathetic– demonstrate you understand their key messages. Repeat their key messages. • Don’t • Deliver tough messages through intermediaries. • Feel you need to answer or respond to everything. • Get into a debate. • Make accusations or challenge anyone’s integrity. • Over use technical jargon. • Hide behind a company rule or blame someone else.

  7. Contact Information • tom.doescher@doescheradvisors.com • 248.701.5235 • www.doescheradvisors.com www.doescheradvisors.com • Book Recommendations • Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher & William Ury • Start with No by Jim Camp • Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud

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