How to Handle the Unreasonable Client

Back when I practiced law full-time there was a joke floating around among my fellow over-worked attorneys: "It's a great profession," some would say "if it weren't for the clients!" Of course the joke was on us as clients and customers make our world go 'round.

Sure, I could give you some advice about how to keep customers under control, but I think it is more appropriate to pose the following question:

What do you stand for?

In business, as in life, you sometimes have to take a stand. Sometimes, you have to decide just what it is important to you and stake a claim upon that: "This is who I am and here is where I stand and this is what I stand for and from this I shall not waiver."

In business, it is so easy to bend and bend in order to make the sale or keep the peace or soothe the egos or whatever. Of course that is necessary, smart, prudent even. But not always. Sometimes you have to take a stand. A customer who is such a problem that he or she causes continuous strife, even after numerous discussions, sounds like a customer you do not want to have. Fire him, I say.

Taking a stand in business can mean almost anything. It is a matter of deciding which values are most important to you and not compromising on those.

• It may mean setting your fees and trusting that you are worth the price set. That in turn means not negotiating those fees down, even though you fear that not doing so may impede your ability to get a deal or contract.


• Maybe it means that you need to fire that obnoxious, albeit successful, salesperson because he brings down the staff.


• Taking a stand may be as simple as turning off the Blackberry at night, on weekends and on vacation because you family life is important, too.


• In 2001, eBay banned the sale of Nazi memorabilia.

For Howard Schultz, taking a stand means providing most Starbucks' employees with health insurance, even part-time employees. In fact, Starbucks spends more on health insurance than it does on coffee beans. Now why is that? Because Schultz took a stand. In 1961, when Schultz was nine years old, his father fell on an icy sidewalk, broke his leg, and lost his job as a delivery man. The family's financial crisis that resulted had a lasting impact on the boy, so much so, that when he took over Starbucks, he vowed that his employees would never face the same unenviable fate as his dad.

"The story of Starbucks," Schultz has said, "is not just a record of growth and success. It's also about how a company can be built in a different way. It's about a company completely unlike the ones my father worked for." Taking a stand isn't easy. It may tick some people off. It may cost you business. But guess what? The opposite may also be true. People may admire the fact that you do in fact stand for something bigger than just making a buck. You may attract a higher quality of people around you. It is a signal, to yourself and others, that you have standards and morals that are worth more than money.

Take a risk. Take a stand. Hold yourself and your business to a higher standard. You just may find unexpected and rewarding results ensue.

 

Tip: "If some among you fear taking a stand because you are afraid of reprisals from customers, clients, or even government, recognize that you are just feeding the crocodile hoping he'll eat you last." — Ronald Reagan