It is human nature to want everyone we deal with to be happy, and to avoid and dismiss those who truly challenge us. In business, this can be a huge inherent barrier to innovation and market
- They make companies challenge how they do things and why. They have no fear of retribution so they offer truly honest insights which can be hard to come by within company walls.
- They make companies realize what they can be and how that is different from what they are or how they are perceived in the marketplace where perception is reality.
- When given the proper attention they can become extremely valuable evangelists for your company brand.
- They offer companies the best possible test group when beta testing products and a source of ideas for innovation.
- They help companies optimize the customer experience. If you can meet and exceed the expectations of your most demanding customers in terms of the customer experience your company offers then you know you are delivering a world class experience.
I know some will say some just like to complain and are just not worth the time to engage, but I would argue this is the exception rather than the rule. People who care enough to demand more, have passion, and want your company to be better. You do not need to say “yes”, but you can learn to say “no, but” and make customers almost as happy as they would be in getting exactly what they want. Most demanding customers respond to good listening, and the rest flows from there.
A personal story, I was in charge of content for a conference and I got a call from someone who was outraged that we were not covering a specific topic. My choices were to tell this person the topic just did not warrant a session or to engage this person. I chose the latter, and got this person to deliver a session on the topic he thought was missing. The session was a big hit at the conference and this person became very engaged in the association that was putting on the aforementioned conference.
The next time you are dealing with a demanding customer I encourage you to view this encounter as an opportunity rather than a challenge, and imagine how this encounter can help make your company better.