There are 4 types of clients that I find very challenging:
- THE ONE WHO WANTS EVERYTHING FOR FREE
- THE ONE WHO THINKS HE’S YOUR ONLY CUSTOMER
- THE ONE WHO TEACHES YOU HOW TO WORK
- THE ONE WHO’S ALWAYS IN A HURRY
CASE 1: The most desperate.
Are you familiar with a customer asking you for free consultations, free additional services, unplanned customization and everyday updates?
Or with someone telling you during a negotiation “I don’t care how many resources or time this activity involves, it’s your business”?
The service is based mainly on resources and time and cannot be a detail, but even the product is often the subject of extra requests.
I remember perfectly that bejeweled “sciura” (Milanese for “lady”) who insisted on asking the clerk of a telephone shop to help her cut the phone card, insert it correctly in the phone, prove that everything worked and that there was the number of the son-in-law stored well. All of this, for free.
“It only takes you a moment, it’s your job!”
Now, if the sciura had bought some products and generated a business for the shop, the salesperson could have turned a blind eye and di her a favour, but that was not the case.
If the boy had to dedicate a free moment to all the customers, how would this affect the business?
Whether you sell a product or a service, favours don’t exist. There may be margins or wisdom to be applied with respect to the value of the business or the prestige of the brand.
Favours are for friends.
After you have conquered the customer with all your weapons: presentations, simulations, inspections, examples, references, projections, verbal, three-dimensional, sensory and spiritual arguments, the moment comes when he will ask you for a pleasure.
If, after the first favour, ten more follow, it’s him: the client nightmare n.1
Now I ask you for one, but if you manage the marketing department of a multinational or a structured company, read here without commitment to understand how we can help you find new qualified sales opportunities every month of the year, but we don’t do it for free! 😉
PS: Soon I’ll be talking about type 2, so hold on.
