How to deal with difficult customers. Three strategies for having fewer difficult customers- attract fewer, institute a velvet rope policy to only let some in, and

1. Dealing Presented by the
With
Difficult
Customers
Michael T. Sobus, Ph.D.
Founder, President
Next Level Business Development Inc.
“Business Science Evolved”
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

2. Dealing
With
Difficult Go Ahead,
Customers Say It,
Michael T. Sobus, Ph.D.
Founder, President
“the Customer
Isn’t
Always Right”
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

3. Imagine
Wouldn’t it be
Great not to worry,
not to fear,
not to care too much
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

4. First A Confession
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

5. 4
Most Important Things
To Know About Your
Business Coach:
Mike Sobus
Mike Sobus
1 Successful Business Executive (1983 to Present)
Over 28 years as a successful business executive with proven experience in
marketing, sales, team leadership, management, training, product development,
HR, business startups and business turnarounds. Managed multi-million dollar
customers including, GE, Miller Brewing, Abbott, Asahi. SAB, and DuPont to
name a few and opened new $multi-million markets in Japan, Korea, South
Africa, and Eastern Europe including Hungary and Bulgaria. Managed new
product development and roll out of $7 million beverage addititive.
Schedule Your “Cash & Customers Strategy Session” Today!
+1 (978) 278- 5541
http://www.nextlevelbizdv.com
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

6. 4
Most Important Things
To Know About Your
Business Coach:
Mike Sobus
Successful Business Executive
1 (1983 to Present)
Mike Sobus
International Business Builder
2 and Turnaround Leader (1983 to 2007)
Responsible for building from scratch In just three years a $30 million Specialty Chemical
Business for a European-based Joint Venture. Hired and managed a multi-cultural team of 35
professionals in 5 countries, was responsible for the completion of 2 multi-million dollar
manufacturing facilities on-time and on-budget and opened highly profitable markets in Easter
Europe and Africa. Led the turn-around of a $12 million nanoparticles business from a loss of
$1. 2 million to a net profit of $1.3 million in just 3 years. Championed product development
and opening of markets in Asia to fuel the turnaround.
Schedule Your “Cash & Customers Strategy Session” Today!
+1 (978) 278- 5541
http://www.nextlevelbizdv.com
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

7. 4
Most Important Things
To Know About Your
Business Coach:
Mike Sobus
Successful Business Executive
1 (1983 to Present)
International Business Builder
2 and Turnaround Leader (1983 to 2007) Mike Sobus
3 Avid Learner (1972 to Present)
Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of Maryland, M.Div. from Weston School of Theology and Graduate of Executive
Management Program at University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business.
In 2008 founded Next Level Business Developmentlicensed and accredited by the Professional Business Coaches
Alliance where he remains an active member sharing cutting-edge strategies and proprietary secrets with more
than 100 business coaches throughout North America.
Schedule Your “Cash & Customers Strategy Session” Today!
+1 (978) 278- 5541
http://www.nextlevelbizdv.com
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

8. 4
Most Important Things
To Know About Your
Business Coach:
Mike Sobus
Successful Business Executive
1 (1983 to Present)
International Business Builder
2 and Turnaround Leader (1983 to 2007) Mike Sobus
3 Avid Learner (1972 to Present)
4 All Around Nice Guy. (?? to Present)
Happily married and shares the now empty nest with Tank, the cocker spaniel, Moo, the short-hair cat,
and any number of fish. Voracious reader of titles on business leadership and management, investing,
politics, economics, philosophy, and ethics. Avid pro sports fan who listens to sports radio and recovering golfer.
Enjoys Classical Music, exercise, trying to grow things in the garden and fine dining! Guilty pleasures:
Tanquary Martinis and arguing politics.
Schedule Your “Cash & Customers Strategy Session” Today!
+1 (978) 278- 5541
http://www.nextlevelbizdv.com
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

9. A Little About Me
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

10. Expectations, Expectations!
• My expectations for you:
• Participate actively
• Ask questions!
• Try using what you learn
• Turn off your cell phone
• What are your expectations for me?
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

11. Before We Fire a Customer…
• Attract Ideal Clients Not Difficult Ones-
exercise 1
• Institute a velvet rope policy- filter
• Love Your Clients- Don’t Let Them
Become Difficult
• Be hard-nosed about the numbers
• Dump the Duds
• Have a process in place
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

12. Customer Service
“You can have everything in life that you want
if you help enough people get what they want.”
List 10 things you would like to learn
or improve about customer service.
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

13. Why is Selling to Existing Customers Important?
• Revenue
• Customer Service Institute – 65% of business comes
from existing customers
• Technical Assistance Research Programs Institute –
91% of dissatisfied customers don’t return – AND
tell seven people!
• Harvard Business Review – Increasing customer
retention from 10% to 15% can double revenue.
• Cost
• Customer Service Institute – It costs 5X more to get
new clients than to keep an existing one
• Longevity
• National Federation of Independent Businesses
(NFIB) – 3-Year study proved that businesses that
focused on service were more likely to survive than
those who emphasized price or product
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

14. It All Comes Down To…
• Customer Expectations
• Meeting (Exceeding!) those
Expectations
• Totally satisfied customers are
6X more likely to repurchase
than satisfied customers
(Xerox Corporation study)
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

15. The Business Model
C H
Messag
e Marketing
R U L Visio
EA M E n Marketing
A Communicati
TE A
N D
on/
Sales
S E Medium
Conversio
R
Y R n/ Customer
E
S S (Closing) Service
S
TE H Serve
O
M U I Bookkeeping,
S R P Receive Administration,
C Account Accounting,
E and
S
Analyz Finance
e
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

16. Message/Vision
• Every great company starts
with a vision of how they will
serve the market
DIFFERENTLY and
BETTER than existing
options
• Then they communicate it!
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

17. What do customers want?
• Convenience
• They want it fast and easy to get
• Low price
• They want to get more than they give
• Quality
• It must meet (or preferably exceed) their expectations
• Personal Attention
• They want to feel unique and cared for
 Rank importance to YOUR customers.
 Discuss how your business fulfills on the above.
 Discuss how your business falls short on the above
 Discuss what you can do to improve on these areas.
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

18. It All Comes Down To…
• Customer Expectations
• Meeting (Exceeding!) those
Expectations
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

19. Customer Expectations
• Your Message (on which they acted)
• Price
• Target market served
• Product line offered
• Ease/speed of purchase
• Location
• Ease of use
• Technology, portability,
• Quality
• Personal attention
• Other?
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

20. What Customers Want
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

21. What Customers Want…
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

22. How to Meet (Exceed)
Their Expectations
• Business Appearance
• First Contact
• Other Interactions
• Employees
• Systems
• Magic Moment
• Post Purchase
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

23. The 80/20 Rule
• 80% of your revenue comes
• From 20% of your clients
• Those 20% are your ideal
customers
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

24. Ideal Customers
• Loyal
• Spend a lot and often
• Fair
• Profitable
• A joy
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

25. Make a List and Check It Twice
Need to find out who’s naught or nice
• Has the customer purchased several
times
• Profitable- Don’t just guess
• Strategically important
• Spent significant money with you
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

26. Profitable
• How much they spend
• How often
• What- high margin or low margin
• Referred others to you
• Pay on time
• Full price or discount shoppers
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

27. Ideal Customers
• Ask for products you are good at
• Value your products/services
• Pay fair
• Challenge you to do better
• Support your continued growth
• Help you move in strategic new directions
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

28. Learn about them
• The products or services the love or would love to
see
• Customer service elements
important to them
• Why they chose your business
• How your business could improve
• How cold you do more business with them
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

29. What Characters You Don’t want
• Penny pincher
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

30. What Characters You Don’t want
• Complainer
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

31. What Characters You Don’t want
• Time-waster
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

32. What Characters You Don’t want
• “more for nothing”
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

33. What Characters You Don’t want
• Know it all-egocentric
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

34. Handling Complaints
• Why?
• Studies have shown that
customer will continue with
you if they felt they were
treated properly
• 90% of unsatisfied customers
never complain they just go
elsewhere
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

35. Handling a Complaint
• Respect
• Engage
• Diagnose
• Listen
• Restate
• No blame
• Solution –break into steps
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

36. 9 steps to fire a client
• Be polite and professional
• Stay calm and relaxed
• Offer an alternative
• Send them a letter
• If you need to break a contract
• Remove them from your list
• If they ask why, tell them
• Offer a concession
• If things get out of control, have a plan.
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

37. Next Level Business Development Inc.
“Business Science Evolved”
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

38. Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

39. Pulling it together – Get Help
No need to jump, there’s
help!
A Special Offer:
• Business Builder Review - $199 if you sign up
today (normally $299)
• Business Effectiveness Evaluation – get a clear
picture on biggest areas of need
• Target Market Review- Demographics
Psychographics and Ideal Customer Niche plus a
90 minute meeting to generate ideas and
tangible action plans
• Walk away with clear plans for next 90 days
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

40. Next Level Business Development Inc.
“Business Science Evolved”
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541

41. Dealing Presented by the
With
Difficult
Customers
Michael T. Sobus, Ph.D.
Founder, President
Next Level Business Development Inc.
“Business Science Evolved”
Strategy Development, Professional Business Coaching and Training
Mike Sobus mike@coachsobus.com 978-278-5541