|
|
|
Welcome to Loyalty MagazineLoyalty Magazine reports on customer retention,loyalty schemes, rewards, affinity, CRM, call centre issues, direct and viral marketing, mobile and internet channels for both B2B and B2C enterprises. It covers all global markets and business sectors, including retail, financial services, travel and hotels, telecoms and electronic commerce. |
|
|
 |
 |
|
Monday, 24 May 2010 12:24 |
 How to Manage Difficult People by Alan Fairweather
It was quite stressful to read “How to Manage Difficult People” but oh so useful!
All of us have to deal with people in our lives, from those we work with to the customers we are trying to please. Some of us have to manage others, some just have to sell either themselves or their products and services.
In all these cases, it is necessary for us to get our case across, and often, to diffuse difficult situations, calm tempers and possibly deal with people who are just plain difficult.
Alan Fairweather spent a number of years in sales and customer service before running seminars and workshops to help people develop skills to handle problem people and situations.
He suggests that if you follow a few simple rules, such as develop skills as a listener, be happy and comfortable with yourself, ask questions rather than make statements, then the result may often be surprising.
Fairweather reinforces time and again, how important it is to listen well. This means keeping eye contact, making affirmative signs or noises and having open body language.
He acknowledges that often it is difficult to act well in a situation because we are nervous, frightened or uncomfortable, and gives many tips for getting through these difficult times.
If an angry customer is on the telephone for example, simply saying “sorry ‘bout that’ and moving on to a quick fix is probably going to make them even more furious. They want acknowledgement that you understand how they feel, that you see the problem from an emotional standpoint, not just from a practical one.
He also suggests that you should use your ‘thinking persona” to deal with difficult people, rather than your passive or your controlling brain. He explains”: “If you’re dealing with a difficult person in their defiant or controlling programme, then you won’t change their behaviour initially. But if you continue to use your thinking programme then they are much more likely to change to their thinking programme and become more reasonable.”
So why is thinking mode better than controlling, passive or defiant. Explained Fairweather: “Behaving from your controlling, passive or efiant programme can be stressful for you; I is self-inflicted stress. You are allowing yourself to be stressed because other people do not behave in a way you have been programmed to believe.
He added: “When someone doesn’t see things the way you do, there is potential for you to get stressed and collect negative feelings. What then happens is that you dump these negative feelings on the other person, and then you have a difficult situation. The way to avoid these negative feelings is to:
Accept people the way they are
Decide not to react to other people’s behaviour
Be responsible for your own feelings
Change your expectations.
Fairweather says that the chapter entitled “The Power of Persuasion” is the most important in the book because it argues that we have to convince the emotional side of a person’s brain that what we are proposing is right for them, not just the logical side. It also gives some good tips on how to read people, and how to react in order to convince others of our case.
All in all this is a really useful book that should be passed round the call centre, the sales team and even the family. After that, you should put it in a safe place for when you are having a bad day, and you need a few suggestions.
“How to manage difficult people – proven strategies for dealing with challenging behaviour at work,” by Alan Fairweather, is published by Howtobooks, price £10.99. More info: www.howtobooks.com. |
|
|
| | subscribe | |
| Read the latest loyalty news & features - only £98 for a full year's access
Find out more... | |
| | book reviews | | | | | | | | Blog | | | | | | | | Resources | | | | | |
|
|
Countries in the EU are currently working on their responses to the complex policy proposals suggested for the handling and storage of personal data. The legislative changes currently underway are of critical importance to the loyalty sector. Jeremy Henderson-Ross, legal director and general counsel – EMEA for Aimia suggests companies should play an active part in the discussions.