The customer is not always right. Customers are wrong. They don’t always ask for reasonable things. Most of your customers are not invested in your success. Most of your customers look at you as a one way street. What can they get from you?

Just because a customer is upset, frustrated and wanting blood, doesn’t mean you have to jump. You don’t have to kiss your customers ass.

What you do have to do is listen, understand, ask questions and respond.

Respond in a manner that meets the needs of your customer. Respond in a manner meant to resolve an issue fairly and demonstrates commitment and loyalty. Respond to your customers needs. Respond in a way that is consistent with your brand. Respond with confidence.

Don’t kiss your customers ass. Don’t bend to unreasonable demands just to demonstrate they are important to you, because they’re not. Any customer with unreasonable demands is no customer worth having. Customer relationships, are just that relationships and any relationship that relies on unreasonable demands is an unhealthy relationship.

Any shrink will tell you, unhealthy relationships is no relationship at all. It’s never healthy to kiss anyone’s ass, period.