You've got a customer you wouldn't let work for you. Think about that. If an employee talked to your people the way this customer does, you'd pull them aside. If they kept doing it, you'd probably get rid of them.
But this guy pays you. So somehow, your team is supposed to learn to live with it.
I think we need to talk about that.
Today we're talking about the customer you keep making excuses for, and what keeping that customer might be doing to the people you really can't afford to lose.
And before somebody decides I'm suggesting we all fire our customers and have a group hug, relax. I own a business too. I like customers. I'm a big fan of getting paid.
But I think sometimes we get so focused on keeping an account that we stop paying attention to what we're asking our people to put up with.
Who Are You Really Protecting?
You probably have somebody in mind already. The customer who makes everything harder than it needs to be. Your account manager can't get through a conversation without being talked down to. Your office person gets an earful over an invoice that's exactly what everybody agreed to. A crew leader leaves the property pissed off because of the way the customer spoke to his guys.
Eventually, somebody brings it to you. And you say, "Yeah, he's an asshole. But he's a good customer."
Is he?
Or does he just spend a lot of money? Because those aren't automatically the same thing.
And your employee is standing there wondering how you can agree that the guy's an asshole and still expect them to keep dealing with him like nothing happened.
That's the part I want to spend some time on. We can talk about wasted hours and extra work, and we will. But there's something more personal going on here.
Your employee wants to know: "Why is protecting this customer so much more important than protecting me?"
I don't think that's an unreasonable question.
A good employee understands that customers pay the bills. They understand that dealing with people is part of the job, and some people are harder to deal with than others. They're not expecting you to jump in every time somebody sounds annoyed on the phone.
But they ought to be able to come to you when something's actually wrong and believe you'll do something about it.
If your answer keeps coming back to how important the account is, what are they supposed to take from that? They're important too. You tell them that. You tell everybody that.
Then this guy treats them like crap, and suddenly there are all these reasons you can't say anything. I'd have a hard time with that. Wouldn't you?
And please don't confuse this with an employee who can't take criticism. If your crew does a lousy job, the customer has every right to be upset. If you missed something you were supposed to do, go fix it. You don't get to call somebody a problem customer because they expect what they paid for.
You can back your employee and still tell them they screwed up. You can apologize to a customer and still tell them they can't speak to your people that way. Those things can happen in the same conversation.
What bothers me is when we know the customer is out of line, and we keep asking a good employee to swallow it because that's easier than having the conversation ourselves.
We've decided we're uncomfortable confronting the customer. So the employee gets to be uncomfortable dealing with them. Again.
When The Customer Goes Around Your People
And sometimes the disrespect is obvious. Sometimes it's more subtle. You give your account manager responsibility for the property, then let the customer go around them every time they hear an answer they don't like.
Think about a customer who asks for work that isn't included in the maintenance agreement. Your account manager explains that, gives them a price, handles it exactly the way you want it handled.
Then the customer calls you. They've been with you a long time. They remind you of that. It's only a little extra work. Surely you can take care of it. And you do.
Now your account manager has to go back and explain that, actually, we'll do it for free. After they just told the customer otherwise. Using your rules.
Do that a few times and see how much authority they have left with that customer. Then see how enthusiastic they are about enforcing your rules with the next one. I'd be thinking, "Why am I bothering?"
You may have gotten off the phone feeling pretty good. Saved the relationship. Made the customer happy. Meanwhile, you've made your employee's job harder and given the customer a reason to do the same thing next time.
That's worth looking at, especially if you're also frustrated that everything keeps coming back to you.
What Your Worst Customers Are Costing Your Team
Now, you've heard of the 80/20 rule. Look at your customer list through that lens. Is a small handful creating most of the aggravation? Twenty percent? Ten? Maybe it's three customers you could name without even looking.
Think about how much time your team spends on them. Arguing about the bill. Going back out to explain something they've already explained. Rearranging work because this customer has decided their request can't wait.
What could your people get done if they got some of that time back?
Your account manager could spend more time on the properties they're responsible for. Catch an issue before the customer has to call. Follow up on the enhancement proposal that's been sitting there because they haven't had a minute to get back to it.
Your office person could finish the work you hired them to do, instead of spending another afternoon chasing down the same argument about the same invoice.
And your good customers might actually get more of your attention. They're easy to work with, so they wait while everybody deals with the guy who won't. That's a hell of a way to reward being a good customer.
But imagine getting that stress out of the job, too. Being able to answer the phone without thinking, "Oh, for God's sake. What now?" Being able to go to a property and concentrate on the work instead of wondering what you're going to get yelled at for today.
The work can still be hard. Landscaping is hard. Snow work is hard. Running crews and managing accounts can be hard. We don't need to make it miserable on top of that.
And if one of your best people handles difficult customers well, be careful what you do with that. It's tempting to keep sending them the ones nobody else can handle. They stay calm. They get it resolved. You trust them.
Fine. But being good at dealing with an asshole doesn't mean they enjoy it. It doesn't mean it isn't getting to them. And it sure doesn't mean they should have to do it without your help.
But It's A Big Account
Now, I can hear the objection. "Mike, this is a big account. I can't just walk away from it."
I believe you. Losing a major maintenance contract or snow account can leave a real hole. You've got people, equipment, and bills that aren't going away because you've decided you don't like a customer anymore.
I'm also not going to sit here and promise you somebody better will magically show up the next day. Maybe they won't.
But have you actually tried to change how this relationship works? Have you told the customer there's a problem? Or have you only told your employee why they need to keep tolerating it?
Because the customer may have no idea you're serious about this. Why would they? So far, they've gotten what they wanted.
You can start with a conversation. If they've been disrespectful to your employee, address what happened. Be specific. You want to keep doing the work, and you'll take care of anything your company gets wrong. But your people need to be able to do their jobs without being insulted.
If the issue is constantly going around your account manager, tell the customer you're backing the answer they already got. If the extra work has a price, it still has a price when they call you.
And then stick to it. Otherwise, you've just made your employee sit through one more conversation that doesn't change anything.
Some customers will adjust. A relationship that was wearing everybody out might become perfectly workable. That's a good outcome. You keep the account, and your employee sees that bringing the problem to you accomplished something.
Some won't adjust. Then you've got a decision to make, with a lot more information than just the number on the contract.
You may need a plan to replace the revenue. You may need to stop renewing work you wish you hadn't sold. There can be a practical way out that takes some time. Tell your people what you're doing. Give them a reason to believe there's an end to this.
What I wouldn't do is keep saying, "We can't afford to lose this customer," as though that settles the whole thing.
Because your employee may be thinking, "Okay. Can you afford to lose me?" And by the time they're asking that, you might be pretty close to finding out.
Where To Start This Week
So this week, talk to the people who actually deal with your customers. Ask which account they'd most like your help with, and why. Let them finish before you start explaining how long you've had the customer or how much money they spend.
You may hear about something your company needs to fix. Good. Fix it. You may hear about a relationship you've let go too far. Then it's your turn to deal with it.
I'd like your people to leave that conversation knowing you're going to help. Not because you've said they're important again, but because you've agreed to do something specific and they can watch you follow through.
At BR1, we help companies find good people. Keeping them deserves just as much attention. If that's something you need help with, contact us.
And the next time you're tempted to tell somebody, "Yeah, he's an asshole, but he's a good customer," stop for a second.
Just make sure you don't end up keeping the asshole and losing the employee.
Until next time, keep building your stronger team!