Impossible clients: What they want just can’t happen. They want to pay you less. They want everything delivered yesterday. They want to do a deal outside the ordinary.
If your client makes impossible demands here are some tips to help you.
Make sure you are clear
Firstly, make sure you are clear: It can’t be done that quickly,
Is it impossible or a new product?
And before we go any further: be certain that what they want really is impossible.
All progress is indebted to the unreasonable person: what they want could
Write it down
But if not, to be doubly clear, write it down. If you have a procedure, make a client version of it. So they can read in black and white, what’s possible and what’s not.
Try a different channel
Next option: try changing sensory channels. Some people
Try a different person
If that doesn’t work, get someone else to explain. This may work because the other person changes “channel” (from words to pictures, as I just suggested). Or it could be their “convincer”.
They may have to meet it more than once
Research on convincers (how people decide) shows that we all need to
hear, see, experience or read things a certain number of times or over a
period before we believe it is true. Until we are convinced. Every
person has a different channel and a different number.
I had a client once who needed to hear something for 3 months to make a
decision. She talked about working with me for 3 months before making
the appointment. She followed up on my quote 3 months later.
My dad’s different: he needs to experience something once before
deciding. He proposed to my mother on their first date. Bought houses he
saw once. Took a holiday on the spur of the moment.
So your client may just need to hear, see, read or experience why what
they are asking is impossible for a few more times to know it’s not
possible. If your convincer is short, and your client’s convincer is
long, then maybe it’s just about a little patience.
Last resort: refer them to a colleague
There is also the nuclear option: don’t provide to them. Refer their business to a colleague.
Check out your processes
Finally, if your clients consistently ask for the impossible check how you are marketing to attract this kind of request.
Look at your customer information, web site, customer welcome packs, everything you give to clients.
This article appeared in the February 2013 edition of Mortgage Professional Australia and online here
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