Having to deal with angry and upset customers is by far one of the worst responsibilities we must face on a day to day basis in the world of sales and business.

However, this responsibility, like so many others we must face on a daily basis, just comes with the territory.

Customers become angry for all sorts of reasons. Some are legitimate reasons. Some are not. In any event it is our job to defuse the situation. Here are a few tips on how you can calm your customer down and put them at ease.

1. Give them your hand to shake

When I was in the banking industry, I worked many years as a branch manager. A customer’s body language would speak volumes as they approached my office. This body language allowed me to prepare for what was to come.

It is not difficult to tell when someone is angry. Their face scrunches. Their lips tighten, and their brow wrinkles. They walk quickly with a purpose in their step, and you know they mean business.

My reaction to this type of body language was to reach out my hand to them as an offering of peace. I did this before they had an opportunity to start venting their anger. I would then calmly introduce myself and ask how I could be of help to them.

This technique will catch your customer off guard, and your acts of professionalism and sincerity will ease the tension and put the rationale back into your customers thought process.

This technique is by far the best way to begin any conversation that has the potential to be blown out of proportion.

2. Apologize to your customer

Once you have your customer seated and have allowed for them to vent, the first thing you want to do is apologize on behalf of your company for the way they have made them feel, or for the inconvenience they have been put through.

It really doesn’t matter if your customer is right or wrong, by apologizing to your customer you are being empathetic to their situation. This gives the customer the feeling that you are on their side.

Remember, when a customer has an issue, what they want more than anything else is for someone to listen to their problem and have an understanding of where they are coming from.

There is absolutely no need to take a bad situation and make it worse.

3. Resolve the problem

The last and final thing you want to assure your customer is that the problem will be resolved, or at the very least, the problem will not happen again.

To leave a problem unresolved and your customer hanging will only lead to more confrontations and wasted time down the line.

Remember, when time is wasted, money is wasted.

Again, putting out fires on a daily basis comes with the territory. The sooner you put out the fires the better.

Never take a customer complaint personally. Act as your customers advocate, and you will always prevent a bad situation from escalating.

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The last thing we want to hear during our work day is complaints from customers. However, it does come with the territory. Here are a few tips on how to turn your customer’s complaint into a positive.

1. Listen

When a customer comes to you with a complaint about one of your products or services, listen to them. Listen to what they are telling you, and take notes if at all possible.

The number one thing a customer wants when they have a problem is for someone to listen to them.

Allow them to vent, let them get it all out. Once they have explained their problem in full, begin to ask any questions you may have to get a full handle on the situation.

While you are listening, body language is very important. Make sure you maintain eye contact. This sends your customer a message that you are taking them seriously.

2. Be Empathetic

When the customer is done explaining their problem, show sincerity by telling them that you understand how they feel. Apologize on behalf of the company that they feel the way they do, and tell them that you are committed to resolving their issue within the guidelines of your company.

By becoming defensive in this situation, you are taking a bad situation and making it worse.

By having an understanding of where your customer is coming from on the situation, and speaking in a calm tone of voice, you can clearly defuse the situation.

You don’t by any means want your customer to become angry and cause a scene.

3. Offer a Solution.

We have all heard the expression “the customer is always right.”

I don’t necessarily agree with this, but it is important to work toward finding a solution, even if the customer is in the wrong. For instance, you might try meeting them half way.

You will know wether or not your customer is a repeat offender, and you can handle the situation accordingly.

For customers who have a legitimate complaint, it is best to rectify the situation right then and there. Wether it is giving them their money back, or replacing their product.

Always leave your customer with your business card and tell them if they should ever have a problem again, they should not hesitate to contact you immediately. This will help them regain their confidence in you and your company.

The main goal when a customer has a complaint is to not allow the problem to snowball. Your objective should be to defuse the situation and retain your customer.

By handling tough situations such as these in a professional manner, you will find your once complaining customers satisfied that you resolved their issue, and a new found respect for you.

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“Objections” or “Concerns”

The problem is, that’s where you often lose them, because reacting to “objections” almost inevitably lets prospects pigeonhole you as “salesperson”.

Think about it for a moment. When prospects raise an objection and you cleverly dismiss it, what often happens?

They come up with even more objections.

When you dismiss those, they may suddenly remember that they have another appointment, or that they have to make an important call. Or they may agree to your offer…and then a day or two later you get a message that they’re not going to go forward after all.

That’s probably the most demoralizing outcome of all, because you thought you “had” that sale, and they’ve reneged on you.

What’s happening here?

It’s about sales pressure. When you’re so focused on making the sale that you counter a prospect’s objections, you’re pressuring them. It’s that simple.

I’d like to share with you a different perspective on how to view objections.

Objections aren’t roadblocks, red flags, or stop signs. They’re an opportunity to learn more about your prospect’s truth so you and they can decide whether the solution you’re offering can solve their problem or issue.

In fact, we should probably stop using the term “objections” entirely and start talking about “concerns,” because that’s what objections really are. But for you to be able to look at objections this way, you have to let go of the traditional goal of selling, which is to make the sale.

When we adopt the mindset that objections are another way to learn about a prospect’s truth, we stop panicking and falling into the trap of pressuring them that chases them away.

When we respond to objections in a way that invites them to share more about their situation with us, we sustain and enhance the relationship of mutual trust and openness we’ve shared so far.

When we don’t fall into the traditional “I’ve got to rescue this sale” reaction, we free ourselves to continue the process of discovering whether we can help solve a problem.

Here’s another advantage of reframing how you view objections — they give you another opportunity to learn whether your prospect is a match for what you have to offer.

When you stop trying to overcome objections and just listen, you may hear that there really is a problem around whether your product or service is a fit for them.

In that case, you and they can talk further, or you may decide it would be best to wish them well and move on. This means that you can make better use of your time.

“This all sounds great,” you’re probably thinking. “But how do I actually do it?”

Common “Objections”

Here are some specifics about how you can respond to 3 common “objections” in ways that avoid introducing sales pressure and open the conversation to more exploration of your prospect’s truth.

“Your price is too high.”

Traditional sales approaches tell you to defend your pricing or to deny that it’s too high. Consider this response instead:

“You are right, it can be perceived as high, especially if you haven’t had a chance to experience the solution yet. The last thing I want to do is have you feel any pressure from me, that I’m trying to persuade you otherwise. Maybe it might help if we took a look at the core issues this should solve for you and then identify what the return will be. That might provide you with a broader perspective on the pricing, would you be open to that?”

By inviting the other person to tell you more, instead of challenging or denying how they view things, you’re validating their viewpoint and reopening the conversation around the idea of why they feel the price is high.

By not trying to counter the “objection,” you allow the dialogue to move back to a discussion that centers around whether you’re a good match for each other.

“Why should I go with you?”

Traditional sales approaches to tell us to defend our company and our solution and to try to persuade prospects as to why we’re better.

Instead, consider saying something along these line, in a relaxed, low-key way:

(Gentle pause.) “I’m not quite convinced you should yet, not until you’re completely comfortable with the reasons why this solution might be best for you. The last thing I want to do is put pressure on you by trying to convince you to do something you may or may not want to do. Would it make sense for us to take a look at the actual issues you want to solve and then see if we are a fit?”

Here again, you’re not creating sales pressure by defending your solution. You’re simply communicating that you’re focused solely on helping them to solve their problem.

“We don’t have the budget for that.”

Again, traditional sales approaches focus on overcoming this kind of objection by showing prospects why they should choose your solution.

Think about saying this instead, in a very calm, relaxed voice:

“That’s not a problem. (Gentle pause.) Quite a few of our clients originally had not allocated a budget for this, mostly because they hadn’t become aware of all their options.

Would you be open to a different perspective on how this could impact your business and provide you with a solid return?”

When prospects express a concern and you reply in a very calm, relaxed voice, “That’s not a problem,” you’re validating whatever they said as having truth. “That’s not a problem” immediately defuses any tension and allows you both to continue your dialogue.

You’re not jumping frantically into defending your product or service — you’re simply suggesting that it might make sense to continue your conversation to see if there really is a justification for solving a problem they might have.

One More Advantage…

Here’s one more benefit you’re likely to experience if you start thinking about concerns rather than objections: less stress. Sherri put it well when she called me back the other day:

“Ari, I have to tell you how much more effortless and relaxed my sales conversations have been since I started thinking about ‘concerns’ instead of ‘objections.’ It’s made a huge difference. I can almost see prospects breathe a sigh of relief when they raise a concern and I respond to them with a gentle ‘That’s not a problem,’ and they realize I’m not trying to deny their concerns or steamroller them.”

If you consider a different mindset that looks at “objections” as “concerns,” you too may find that they can turn into gateways instead of roadblocks.