There can be no denying that some people are just awful to deal with. Whether it is due to chemistry between the person and ourselves, or they are just a particularly difficult person—most of us will eventually have that “customer from hell” who makes us crazy. They may set off every trigger we have and even though you may be trying to stay calm and decent, it can be tough! One of the things I have learned is that if I can at least focus on being amicable—I can generally work with just about anyone.
Amicable means to be friendly, polite, and cordial. You may not be overjoyed to hear that difficult person’s voice on the telephone or see that e-mail pop up in your inbox, but you do not have to let it show. Manners can be your friend when you are dealing with a customer or client who you do not particularly like or who is nasty, nasty, nasty. Who knows? Maybe your little bit of amicability and manners will turn them into someone nice?
Even if you cannot change the way the other person acts or reacts, and you either do not want to or cannot dump them as a customer or client, you can adjust your own actions and reactions to try to salvage the situation. Focus on trying to treat the challenging customer as you would your neighborhood grocery clerk or a next-door neighbor—friendly, cordial and amicable—no matter what. And, watch the sarcasm too. You might think that the other person is too nasty or self-absorbed to notice, but even the slightest dribble of sarcasm can be caught by another person. Instead, just promise yourself that you will channel as much amicability as you can muster and see if it doesn’t help improve the relationship with your monster client—or at least make you feel better knowing you are doing your best.