A Step-by-Step Guide to Saving Challenging Client Relationships

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0:33I can't wait to see you there. don't just fix the problem turn it into a memorable and positive experience when people feel heard and valued they're more likely to tell others about how you went the extra mile and this turns a negative situation into an opportunity to build deeper trust with your customer welcome back to the jasmine star show a place where we discuss business mindset and today how to turn unhappy clients into evangelists yeah it's possible in fact there is a theory called the service recovery paradox. And this concept was proposed by Ronald Oliver. It suggests that customers may actually be more satisfied with the company after a service failure is successfully resolved compared to a situation where no failure had occurred.

1:14Okay, so here's a little bit of a story. I signed up for a new gym. And when I signed up, I got a new free training session. And I had set my training session for 5 a.m. And the crazy thing was when I went, they said, okay, your trainer is going to be upstairs. And so I'm waiting. It's like 5, 10, 5, 15. I go back downstairs and I said, Hey, like the trainer's not there. And he said, no, he's here. And he described him. And I said, Oh, I went back upstairs. The trainer was working with somebody else. And he said, Oh, I'm so sorry. I think that I have a training session with you. And he said, no, you clearly don't because I'm training somebody else right now.

1:48Like those are his exact words. And I'm like, okay. So then I go back downstairs and I said, you know, the trainer that I was set up for with my training session, he's actually with somebody else. And they said, we don't see how that's possible. And I was like, okay. So I right there had to self-serve my own solution. I was like, okay. So I just spoke to the trainer and he said I wasn't on his schedule because he's working with another client right now. And I was like, so I don't know what I should be doing. And they're like, okay, well, you know, we don't understand how this happened. So there was no apology.

2:23They didn't like sweeten the deal. Like, oh, hey, you know, you're supposed to get a 60 minute session. we'll give you a 75 minute session or anything. There wasn't even like anything to make it right. They were just like, okay, well, we'll just schedule you. And I'm like, I just spent 20 minutes trying to solve my own problem based on something I wasn't responsible for. So how am I going to trust that the same thing won't happen again? Like if I make another appointment at 5am for a training session, that the same thing's not going to happen. I'm like, I don't feel confident anymore. I am not going back.

2:53And I'm not going to be booking with those trainers. Now, let's be real. No matter how well you run your business, challenging client situations are bound to happen. There's a future Jasmine in your future. You know, they are. It's normal. We're normal. And whether it's a misunderstanding or unmet expectations, or it's just something that just didn't go as planned, there are moments and these moments are inevitable. And here's the thing. How you respond makes all the difference between losing a client and turning them into a loyal client or customer. In fact, these tough moments can be a perfect opportunity to show your clients just how committed you are to their success.

3:31So I'm going to challenge you to shift your mindset. Instead of seeing them as setbacks, what would happen if you started to think of a client let down as chances to build stronger, more trusting relationships that lead to success? This is exactly why in today's episode we're going to talk about how to know if it's a solvable client experience or if it's time to cut the ties, a framework you can use to turn a challenging client experience into a win for them and you, and we're also going to cover how to assess a situation and how to create solutions in a way that leaves everyone feeling good. So how do you know if a client's problem is solvable or if it's time to part ways?

4:10You know your business and your clients best. But if you need help, I have a four-step framework for you. And each step of the framework has two questions to answer. So four steps, two questions. The first step is to assess the situation honestly. The two questions you need to ask yourself in this step is number one, is this a one-time issue or has there been a pattern? And question number two, can this problem be fixed in a way that feels good to me? If you answered yes to at least one of those two questions, I want you to finish the framework. Step two is to gauge the relationship. The two questions you're going to want to answer here in this section is, number one, has this relationship been a good experience for both of us up until this point?

4:51And question number two, does the client seem genuinely invested in resolving the issue? Or are they more disengaged and feeling a little defensive? If you answered yes to either of these questions, again, you're going to want to stay in the framework. So if you've assessed the situation and you have gauged the relationship, Now, the third step is to clarify expectations. If you've made it to this point in the framework, it means that there's still potential to salvage the relationship. But now it's all about setting clear expectations moving forward. The key questions to ask about clarifying expectations are, one, were the expectations clear from the start?

5:28And question two, do you have clear documentation that they understood the expectations? If you answered yes, use this situation to make any changes in the processes that could prevent this from happening again in the future? And if you answered no, is there a way to recalibrate and reset them right now? If the expectations were clear, but you didn't get the outcome that you had wanted, it's time to recalibrate. And if you can do that, you're gonna move to the final step. And that final step, which is a little ambiguous, it's to trust your gut. What were you hoping this framework would tell you?

6:02Michael Nolan said it best. There are two ways to make a decision. Flip a coin, and while it's in the air, you're going to know exactly what you were hoping for. Do you want to work with this client? And if the answer is no, I promise you there are more people out there who want and need your product and service than you could ever take on serving. We just used a framework to see if the client problem was solvable. Now let's get into how to mend a damaged relationship with a customer or client if it was solvable. Now there was a time where I was a wedding photographer and I double booked a wedding client.

6:39Now, this is not anything that you ever want to do to a bride. A bride's day is her day. She gets one of these in her life or everybody hopes you get one of them in your life. And so I can tell you all the reasons why it happened. She ended up switching her date and it wasn't cataloged correctly on my calendar and I already booked another wedding. And so it was literally like a week before the wedding. And I realized that I have two weddings on the same day. And that is the day that I thought, oh my God, my career as a photographer was over. I was so desperate. I literally went so crazy. My mind wasn't thinking straight.

7:11I turned to my husband and my business partner and I told him, I'm going to send my twin sister, Bianca, and she's going to shoot one wedding and I'll shoot the other. I swear to you, I'm so embarrassed to even say that that's what I thought, but I was so penit. I had to mend that relationship. I had to make it right. So I did. And I've been having to make things right, even if I didn't feel like I was wrong about situations. Now, let me tell you, that situation, I was wrong. I was dead wrong. It was a mistake on my end, and I made it right, and both of the brides were very happy at the end of the day.

7:42But there have been times, other times in my career, where I had to find ways to make it right. So what I want to share with you now is a four-step process to repair damage with a client or a customer. Step one, focus on facts, not feelings. Gather all of the relevant information from your client and your team to get a complete picture of what went wrong. But here's the thing. You must do it without placing blame. Instead of pointing fingers at them or at your team, at yourself, no, no, no. Try to understand the issue and especially take time to see things from the client's perspective. And you're going to want to acknowledge their feelings.

8:15Even if we can apply logic to it, it's like a business thing, like logic, facts, feelings. Okay, we're going to acknowledge. We're going to focus on those facts, but we're going to also recognize how they feel because it's just as important for us to rebuild trust. We want to honor their feelings and make sure that they feel heard and understood, but keep the facts as the center of the conversation. Step two, apologize with empathy. You're probably thinking like, okay, Jasmine, yeah, I get it. But some people kind of dance around apologies. And I'm not saying that's wrong. I'm saying that your client is waiting to hear the words, I'm sorry, or I messed up.

8:50This isn't a situation in your personal life where you can just like apologize in your own way. You know, like if you get your partner, your kids, your siblings, you're like, oh, you know how I apologize. No, no, no. You must own all of it with customers and clients. And when you do apologize, make sure to communicate with empathy and transparency so that you acknowledge how the client is feeling and not just the problem at hand. Here, I'm going to give you an example so you can hear the difference. Imagine a client is unhappy because their project was delayed. And a dance around apology could be something like, it's clear that the timing wasn't ideal.

9:27That's not an apology. That's just saying, okay, it wasn't ideal. No, no, no. But an empathetic apology would be something like, I'm so sorry for the delay and the inconvenience it's caused you. I understand how frustrating this must be. And I want to make sure that you know that we're taking all the steps to ensure it doesn't happen again. Yes, This step might be super basic, but I had to include it because it's the most important. And I want to go back to like my gym experience. Like clearly I cannot let this thing go, right? Like if the manager had just said, if he had only had said, I am so sorry, this was our mistake.

10:00And I will ensure that your next appointment is our main focus. If he would have said that, I would have totally have gone back. I would have trusted him. I wanted to be sold to. Like, that's the crazy thing. Like I wanted this free session because I wanted to sit there through the sales cycle. And I wanted them to sell me because the gym is really intimidating to me. I told JD that I felt like I was training in like the Ludi gladiatorius, you know, like, oh, and what was like, we're like, we're like the, um, what was his name? What's that in the movie? The gladiator. You know, it's like where the gladiator is training.

10:30Like, you know, like we're all wanting me gladiators and then there's like, we were in a fight in the Coliseum. Like all the guys in there, like they don't have necks. They walk around, like the arms are out, like they can't even touch their sides and they like, you know, it's like they walk around like they have like big cans of baked beans under their armpits. And they're like, and like, I'm sitting there like I wanted to be sold to so that the trainer can walk me around the gym and make me feel more confident. And nope, they lost my money. One star won't come back to your training, right? If the manager had just said, we apologize and we're going to make it right.

11:03I think that would have made the biggest difference. Step number three, create a solution that exceeds expectations. Now it's time to turn this situation around by going above and beyond. How can you show you're committed to making things right? This is what I recommend. Think of what would make them happy or what might they be expecting and then go one step further. This is how you surprise and delight people. This can be a discount, a free service, a custom offer, but the key here is to personalize it so much for them, as much as you can. Here's an example. Remember that project that got delivered late?

11:38We know another example. Well, let's say the project was a branded video that didn't get delivered on time. That video editor could send a couple complimentary short form videos that are on brand for the business social media accounts. By providing something useful and personalized, that video editor just didn't surprise and delight them. They turned a potentially negative experience into a moment that strengthens that relationship. So let's go back to my gym situation. I know this is the last time I'm going to bring it up. I promise your girl won't let it go. See, here's the thing. Just like my husband says, you never forget nothing.

12:11No, I don't. If the manager had offered a complimentary coffee or a smoothie at the gym cafe, listen, I am a cheap apology. I'm a cheap apology. You give me a$4.99 cup of coffee and great. They could have made$400, maybe a little bit later, maybe even more if I had become a client. So let's talk about some key takeaways. Don't just fix the problem. Turn it into a memorable and positive experience. When people feel heard and valued, they're more likely to tell others about how you went the extra mile. And this turns a negative situation into an opportunity to build deeper trust with your customer.

12:53Now, this is our next and final step. That's step number four, to reflect and improve your processes. Once you've completed the other three steps, and mended the relationship, or you realized the relationship needed to end, it's fine, you can then focus on learning from the experience and streamline your processes. And this is how. Start by analyzing what led to the issue and then how you handled it. For example, we were using an example about the delayed video. It could have been a communication breakdown. Maybe it was unclear timelines. Maybe an unexpected tech issue. Whatever the cause, take a close look where things went off track.

13:29Did you set clear expectations with the client? Were there gaps in the workflows or tools that cause the delay? Once you identify that root cause, I want you to document the lesson and then update your processes to avoid it again in the future. Next, we're going to implement changes to prevent similar issues in the future. This means that we're taking our lessons and we're applying them to the future. So you're going to use what you've learned and you're going to tweak your process. For example, the video editor could add more regular check-ins with clients to keep clear communication or build an extra time in their schedule for unexpected delays.

14:01Maybe they invest in better software or create a more detailed onboarding plan to set expectations from the start. Whatever it is, take action to implement it before it happens again. And while negative client experience is, you know, still fresh in your mind, take those lessons and apply them so they feel more real. Now, once you've made these updates, I want you to share them with your team so everybody is on the same page. And if you want bonus points, you know, a little extra credit, you will get bonus points if you tell the previously unhappy client, hey, this is what I've implemented with me and my team to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

14:36So we can better remember these frameworks. I want to summarize what we have covered so far. To find out if you should mend the client situation, first, assess the situation honestly. Step two is to gauge the relationship. Is this something you want to pursue? Step three is to clarify expectations. And step four is to trust your gut. What did you want actually happening from it? If you got one thing from this episode, I hope it's to think of challenging client experiences as an opportunity to build stronger relationships and become a better problem solver and a better decision maker. By approaching these situations with a positive and proactive mindset, you can turn obstacles into stepping stones for growth.

15:17If this has helped you at all, thank you for listening and watching the Jazz and Star Show. And if for some reason, the manager from the gym that I go to here in Orange County ever comes across this podcast episode. Hey, I will take not one, but two free training sessions if you want to make it right. I know I said it was gonna be the last time I talked about it. No, clearly I can't drop it. I can't drop it. I cannot drop it. Thank you for watching and listening to the Jasmine Star Show. This show has always been created for you. If you've learned one thing or taken something from it, if you would be so kind to leave a review for this episode, or you could share it with a founder friend who might benefit from these lessons and frameworks, I would greatly appreciate it.

15:56And as a reminder, if you found any of these topics that we discussed today here helpful, in the show notes, I link back to two other episodes that you will find helpful when it comes to these systems and frameworks. I love continuing to bring valuable content like this to you, to entrepreneurs, for free. I appreciate your time, your energy, and your attention greatly. Thank you for listening and watching The Jasmine Starr Show.