×

Posted on

8 Strategies For Dealing With Difficult Clients

8 Strategies For Dealing With Difficult Clients
Mohab Customer Experience, Guest Posts 0

8 Strategies For Dealing With Difficult Clients

It doesn’t matter what you do, who you work with, or how picky you are with your customers—at some point, every small business owner, independent contractor, freelancer, and self-employed person has to deal with difficult clients..

But just because challenging clients are a part of running a successful business doesn’t make them any easier to deal with! Managing difficult clients is frustrating, time-consuming, and—depending on what they’re being difficult about—can have a significant impact on your business.

That’s why, as business owners, it’s imperative to know how to deal with difficult clients. When you know how to deal with challenging clients, you can better manage your customers and maintain your client relationships—even when your clients insist on being a thorn in your side.

But how, exactly, do you do that? Let’s take a look at eight must-know strategies for dealing with difficult customers:

 

1. Set Clear Expectations

Here’s the truth: some clients are going to be difficult no matter what you do. But many difficult client relationships can be avoided by getting on the same page from the get-go—and that means setting clear expectations from day one.

Setting clear expectations at the very beginning of your client relationships (and making sure your client understands those expectations) can help you avoid misunderstandings in the future—and can help you avoid difficult interactions with your client as a result.

When you start working with a new client, schedule a meeting to discuss and cement all the details of your working relationship. Walk through everything that could be relevant (or could be potentially misunderstood) in the future. This includes:

  • Your business background. You never want a client to say you misrepresented yourself or your business—so before you start working together, you’ll want to outline your business background, including years of experience in your industry, the type of projects you specialize in, and your experience with the type of project or work they’re looking to hire for.
  • Professional services. You and your client need to be on the same page on what, exactly, you’re being hired to do. What services are you going to perform for the client? 
  • Timeline. Many clients get upset when projects aren’t completed in a timeframe they deem appropriate—so make sure you outline realistic timeframes and project deadlines. And, in order to avoid any confusion, be as specific as possible. So, for example, if you’re a general contractor hired to renovate a kitchen, don’t just give a date when the project will be complete; walk through approximate timeframes for each part of the project, like demo, cabinet installation, and painting. 
  • Pricing. If you want to avoid client challenges, one of the most important areas to set clear expectations? Your pricing structure. Review your entire pricing structure with a client before taking on a project, including the total amount due upfront, payment terms, the payment schedule, when the final payment is due, and what happens in the case of a late payment or unpaid invoice, including late fees and interest charges.

Once you’ve reviewed all this information with your customer (this is the important part!), put everything into a written contract—and have the client read and sign that contract. Having a signed contract adds a layer of protection for future disputes; for example, if, after completing a project, the client doesn’t want to pay the full amount because they say it’s different from your original pricing, you can point to the contract—the contract that they signed—and easily resolve the dispute. (Written contracts are also much easier to enforce than oral agreements.)

 

2. Have Firm Boundaries

Setting boundaries is an important part of running a successful business—but it’s especially important when it comes to managing hard-to-deal-with clients.

Without boundaries, clients with a natural inclination towards being difficult can (and will!) walk all over you—and the relationship can quickly become unmanageable.

There are a few different areas where you’ll want to set clear boundaries with your clients, including:

  • Communication. Setting boundaries around your communication is a must, especially if a client can be difficult. Let your client know how and when they can get in touch with you with project-related questions or concerns. For example, you might tell them you’ll respond to emails or phone calls between 9am and 6pm, Monday through Friday, but text messaging is off limits—and you won’t respond to any communication requests on nights or weekends. Then, make sure to stick to those boundaries; once you respond to a late-night text message from the client—even after telling them that texting and after-hours communication is a no-no—you’ll likely find yourself inundated with texts for the remainder of the project.
  • Project scope. If you don’t have clear boundaries on what your project entails—and what it doesn’t—it can be easy for the project scope to expand. But often, difficult clients will request changes to the project and not want to pay for those changes—so set clear boundaries around the project scope from the get-go and make sure to draw up a new contract any time the client makes a request for a change.
  • Treatment of staff members and contractors. If you have employees or subcontractors working with a client, you want to make sure your team is being treated with respect. Refuse to tolerate any disrespect, inflammatory language, or other type of mistreatment from your client to yourself and your team—and if they step out of line, let them know the behavior is unacceptable.

3. Commit To Professionalism

When you’re dealing with a truly difficult customer, it can be easy for your emotions to get the best of you. But as a business owner, it’s important to stay calm, separate business from personal, and commit to a sense of professionalism in all your interactions with the client.

During, keep things professional. If you find yourself face-to-face with an upset or angry client, give them the space to share their frustration—but don’t mirror their anger. When you have to navigate difficult conversations or challenging project check-ins, be aware of your facial expressions and body language. Conduct yourself in a professional manner in all your interactions with your clients—even (and especially) when they’re acting anything but professional.

Side note: there’s a difference between keeping things professional and opening yourself or your team up for abuse. If you’re dealing with an exceptionally angry customer—and the customer is screaming, yelling, or being abusive—the most professional thing you can do is walk away from the conversation until they calm down.

 

4. Document Everything

As mentioned, one of the go-to’s for hard-to-deal-with clients is the “he said, she said” game; they’ll claim you said, did, or promised one thing—while you know that you said, did, or promised nothing of the sort.

Having a written contract at the start of the project will help to avoid a lot of these “he said, she said” misunderstandings. But there are plenty of opportunities for misunderstandings after the contract has already been drawn up—which is why it’s important to document all your interactions with the client.

Keep a record of all the phone calls with your client; after the phone call, write down the time, date, and what was discussed. If you have a video call, do the same thing. Keep all your emails and other written communication in a folder. Not only will having documentation of all your client interactions help you to address any misunderstandings with the client in the future, but it will also be helpful if you end up having to take legal action against the client (or they decide to take legal action against you).

 

5. Own Up To Your Mistakes

There’s a difference between difficult clients and unhappy clients. If the reason your client relationship is difficult is that you dropped the ball or under-delivered on your project, it’s important to own up to that.

If a customer is upset because of what they perceive to be a problem on your end, listen to how the client feels—and if their concerns are warranted, it’s important to take every step necessary to address the client’s concerns and right the situation

For example, if a client is being difficult—and, after a conversation, you find out the reason is that your crew has been arriving at the job site an hour late every day? Own up to the mistake, apologize to the customer, and take any steps necessary to ensure, moving forward, your crew arrives on time and ready to work—and follow up with the client to make sure that happens.

Bottom line? Unhappy customers are different from difficult customers; they’re unhappy for a reason—and as a business owner, it’s important to address that reason and fix it.

 

6. Don’t Take The Blame When It’s Not Warranted

It’s important to own up to any mistakes you make with your clients. But some clients will want you to take the blame even when things aren’t your fault—and in those cases, it’s important to hold your ground.

For example, if your crew shows up late to a home improvement job site, that’s on you. But if your client isn’t home to let them in when they arrive (and the job starts late as a result), that’s on them—or if there’s a natural disaster that shuts down roads and your crew can’t safely get to the job site, that’s on no one.

The point is, you always want to listen and acknowledge your clients—but you don’t need to accept the blame from a difficult client for situations that are out of your control.

 

7. Escalate The Situation When Necessary

Sometimes, you can do everything right when dealing with difficult clients—but you still don’t get the outcome you want or need.

And in those situations, sometimes the best thing to do? Escalate the situation. There are a variety of situations where you might need to take things to the next level when dealing with a difficult client, including:

  • The client refuses to pay for outstanding invoices. A non-paying client that refuses to settle an outstanding invoice (despite your best efforts) can negatively impact your business’ cash flow—and you may need to escalate the situation and send a demand letter or take them to small claims court in order to collect and settle the non-payment. You could also send the unpaid bill to a debt collection agency—and allow the collection agency to handle the debt collection/nonpayment issue for you.
  • Fee disputes. If you and your client disagree on the amount of money owed for a job or project—and you can’t come to an agreement on your own—you may need to have the dispute mediated by a law firm.
  • Breach of contract. If your client is in direct breach of a contract (whether that’s by ignoring unpaid bills for a certain amount of time or refusing to settle unpaid fees that are past due), it’s within your legal rights to take them to court for violating the contract.

Making the choice to take legal action against a client isn’t easy; not only can it make an already challenging client situation more difficult, but there are also significant costs involved (including the time investment and the legal fees to cover an attorney or law firm’s legal services). Before you decide to escalate a client situation, talk to a lawyer for legal advice—and make sure it’s the best course of action for you.

 

8. If A Client Becomes Too Difficult To Deal With? Just Walk Away

All of these strategies can help you more effectively navigate challenging client relationships. But if you’ve tried everything on this list and a client is just too difficult to deal with, the good news? You can always just walk away.

As a business owner, the decision-making power lies with you; you get to decide who you work with and who you don’t. And if a client becomes too much of a hassle, you can always walk away—and make room in your schedule for clients who are going to be easier to work with.

This article first appeared on hourly.io.

Deanna deBara - 8 Strategies For Dealing With Difficult Clients
-Deanna deBara is a freelance writer living in Portland, OR. When she’s not busy building her business or typing away at her keyboard, she enjoys spending time hiking in the Pacific Northwest.

5 years ago
PayTabs
Mohab Growth Hacks, Guest Posts 0

How To Pay Employees In A Small Business With 8 Steps
If you’re a new business owner, learning how to pay your employees may seem tricky. After all, you can’t just hand them a wad of cash. You need to document every dollar that passes through your hands to theirs in a legal way.

‍Fortunately, the process isn’t as daunting as it seems.

In this guide, you’ll learn:‍

  • Different types of compensation classifications
  • How to determine how much to pay an employee
  • How to pay an employee in a small business

Different Types of Compensation

There are three primary ways that businesses compensate their employees:

  • Hourly wages
  • Fixed annual salary
  • Commission

Hourly Compensation

Hourly wages are based on an hourly rate. The employee’s pay is determined by how much time they work during a pay period.

For example, you could pay an associate $20 per hour for their work. If they work 80 hours in a pay period, they are owed $1,600.

An hourly wage is ideal for a part-time employee or someone who doesn’t work a consistent schedule, like a restaurant server. Typically, hourly workers are “non-exempt,” which means they qualify for overtime pay.

Salaried Compensation

Salaried employees are paid a fixed annual rate. Each payday they are paid a consistent figure, which is determined by dividing their annual salary by the number of pay periods.

For example, with a $60,000 annual salary and a bi-weekly pay period, an employee will receive $2,307 in pre-tax wages each payday.

Salaries are best for corporate roles in which the employee’s time input is predictable. Salaried employees are typically exempt from receiving overtime pay.

Commission-Based Compensation

You can also pay employees on commission. They would potentially earn a low base rate — which can be hourly or salaried — plus additional pay based on predetermined sales goals.

For example, a salesperson at your company might have a $35,000 base annual salary. On top of that, they also earn a commission based on a percentage of any deals they close.

Commission-based compensation is ideal for sales roles, as it incentivizes employees to meet specific goals.

Refer to the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) to ensure that you are properly compensating your employees while adhering to minimum wage and overtime laws.

How Much to Pay an Employee

How much you should pay your employees depends on what your competitors are paying for similar roles.

Conduct market research to see what other companies in your field and location pay for the role you’re hiring for, or for the type of work you need to be done.

Online tools like PayScale and Salary crowdsource pay rates from around the country.

How to Pay an Employee as a Small Business

To start paying employees, you’ll need to set up a payroll system.

First, let’s uncover what processing payroll involves. Then, we can explore the best payroll options for small business owners.

1. Collect Paperwork from Your Employees

Have new employees and current employees fill out and submit these tax forms:

If you plan on paying your employees via direct deposit, you will need to request their banking information as well.

2. Calculate Pre-Tax Pay

Determine your employees’ gross pay for the pay period:

  • Hourly employees: Multiply their hourly rate by the number of hours they worked during the pay period.
  • Salaried employees: Divide their yearly salary by the number of pay periods in your annual payroll schedule.
  • Commission employees: Determine their hourly or salaried base pay. Then, add their commission earnings for that pay period, based on your company’s commission structure.

3. Determine Tax Withholding

Refer to the paperwork you collected from employees to calculate how much of their earnings you need to withhold for (pre-tax and post-tax):

  • Federal income taxes
  • State income taxes
  • Local taxes
  • FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act), which comprises Social Security taxes and Medicare taxes, a.k.a. payroll taxes.
  • Deductions for benefits such as healthcare, retirement savings plans, flexible spending accounts, and commuter benefits

If applicable, you’ll also want to consider the cost of unemployment insurance, including SUTA (State Unemployment Tax Act) and FUTA (Federal Unemployment Tax Act). Typically, this is not deducted from employees but paid on the employer side.

4. How to Pay an Employee: Calculate Net Pay

You’ve determined your employees’ gross pay and how much to withhold from their paycheck in taxes. Calculate their net pay by subtracting the withheld amount from their gross pay.

For example, if an employee’s gross pay for the pay period is $2,500 and $680 needs to be withheld for taxes, the employee receives a payment of $1,820 on payday.

5. Distribute Paychecks to Your Employees

Now it’s time to pay your employees the net pay they are owed. Checks and direct deposits are the most popular ways to pay an employee.

If you use direct deposit, refer to the bank information your employees gave you. Alternatively, you can have your bank or payroll provider cut checks for employees.

6. File Taxes

You are responsible for paying taxes on behalf of your W-2 employees. Take the portion of the employee’s paycheck that has been withheld (determined in step three) and distribute those funds to the proper places. Specifically, file taxes with the IRS, your state’s tax collection agency, and (if applicable) your municipality’s tax collection agency. Note that some taxes are paid only by the employer.

7. Pay Into Benefits

Not all withheld pay will go to the government. Depending on your company, a portion may go toward employee benefits.

This might include contributions toward:

  • Health insurance
  • Retirement
  • Commuter benefits
  • Health savings accounts
  • Flexible spending accounts

If you offer any employee benefits program, make a payment on behalf of your employees into the relevant accounts.

8. Update Payroll Records

You’ll need to keep your payroll records for several years in case of an audit. Keep your payroll register up to date, organized, and accessible. Include information about who got paid, how much they worked, how much they were paid, and what taxes were withheld.

How to Pay an Employee: Best Payroll Solution for Small Businesses

Payroll sounds complicated, doesn’t it? How do small business owners handle it?

Enterprise-level businesses have in-house teams dedicated to paying employees. Small businesses may not be able to afford a payroll specialist or even have enough people on the payroll to warrant the expense.

However, even one-person businesses are responsible for labor law compliance and tax withholding in most cases.

Using payroll software is the best way to pay employees in a small business. It’s cost- and time-effective. In fact, payroll software automates each step of the detailed payroll process we just covered, including distributing payments.

Final Thoughts: How to Pay an Employee in a Small Business

There’s a lot to know when it comes to paying your staff.

First, you must determine how much they’ll make and how you’ll pay them. Then, you have to determine whether your staffs are W-2 employees or 1099 contractors to figure out whether you are responsible for withholding their taxes. Finally, you must run payroll correctly (and on a regular schedule) to make sure everyone is happy on payday.

 

This article was contributed by Maddy Osman and originally posted on Hourly.io

 

How To Pay Employees In A Small Business With 8 Steps
-Maddy Osman is an SEO Content Strategist who writes creative and relevant content for businesses.” Please see the attached file for her photo. We would just like to request proper attribution, along with a canonical tag, or a do-follow link redirecting to the original article:
“This article first from hourly.io has been posted with permission.”
“This article first appeared on hourly.io.”

5 years ago
PayTabs Egypt and zVendo join hands
Mohab Partners & Partnerships 0

Together, the two companies “zVendo and PayTabs Egypt” collaborate to allow online businesses to run an outstanding local fully integrated eCommerce platform that offers an exceptional customer experience for your clients.

Know more about zVendo.

Established in 2018 by the primary founders of leading e-commerce solutions company Business Boomers, zVendo emerged from Egyptian developers and was set up to cater to the Middle Eastern and Arab world. The main aim was to enable businesses to start selling online in a blink of an eye and provide merchants and their customers with a localized experience that does not require having any technical knowledge.

What zVendo aimed to deliver is complete end-to-end services that cater to all customers’ needs and which enhances the overall customer experience leaving no delivery channel or services overlooked together with complete omni-channel support.

The omnichannel enabler provides multiple selling channels, from an online store to a mobile app and POS systems, product feeds for social media platforms, marketplaces, and product aggregators.

zVendo provides subscription-based packages to support businesses of all sizes. Ranging between freemium and full-fledged features, they include more than 20 ready-made payment and shipping integrations. The Arabic language is available to online stores as a free feature to all packages.

 

PayTabs & zVendo Collaboration

 

The strategic partnership between PayTabs Egypt and zVendo will guarantee that shoppers receive a wide range of services under a one-stop platform seamlessly. With their contributions, the collaboration is intended to provide a direct payment integration with a wide range of services that help small businesses start their online businesses and then grow in a sustainable and productive way, these services are represented in several payments directly connected to the online store, from credit-card payments, to ValU, Meeza and Fawry.

Paytabs and zVendo collaboration is an initiative launched by the Central Bank of Egypt to encourage the digital transformation and the transition to digital payments in Egypt. zVendo and Paytabs Egypt are collaborating to provide merchants with everything they need to digitize their business and to start their businesses online.

If you are looking to expand your business and kick the online sphere, zVendo and PayTabs are here to support you with that.

5 years ago
PayTabs-Apple-Pay
Mohab Partners & Partnerships 0

PayTabs-Apple-Pay
PayTabs has once again simplified the lives of merchants and customers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with the introduction of Apple Pay as an alternative payment method. (APM). The collaboration brings with it several new features which aims to make online payment processing more secure and convenient for PayTabs merchants.

Why has PayTabs launched Apple Pay

PayTabs aims to simplify online payment process for its clients. Collaborating with Apple Pay allows the online payment service provider to offer advanced technologies and more efficient processes. With Apple Pay, PayTabs is able to meet the requirements of its clients, giving them more bang for their buck. The online payment service provider is also able to augment its portfolio of supported APMs, widening its network and reach.

PayTabs is also in position to acquire new clients who still have to join Apple Pay by offering them a guiding hand. With this new tie up with Apple Pay, PayTabs can remain a leading figure in the market when it comes to implementing cutting edge technologies.

As a merchant, why should you use Apple Pay?

Apple Pay offers many distinct advantages and features over other payment systems:

  1. Simplicity: Apple Pay is easy and works with the Apple devices customers use every day. Your customers can make secure purchases in stores, in apps, and on the web. Apple Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service, which allows the use of multiple debit cards as well as credit cards. The process is highly simple to implement. Merchants are not required to undertake any step to enable PayPage transaction. However, for iOS transaction, they need to be enrolled in Apple Pay program. The process is simple and PayTabs team is at hand to provide guidance to the merchants.
  2. Convenience: When customers make purchases on the web on the Safari browser, on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, they can use Apple Pay without having to create an account or fill out lengthy forms.

Apple Pay is a versatile service which may be used offline as well as online. The company has global presence which ensures that cross border businesses are highly benefited with the ability to accept and make payments in different parts of the world. Further, the service can be accessed through its app, ensuring that you are able to transact no matter where you are. As long as you have a phone with internet connectivity, ApplePay lets carry out your business as usual.

  1. Privacy & Security: The robust security measures undertaken by Apple ensure that the financial data entered by the users is stored securely, guarding against compromise. PayTabs will deploy Apple Pay with an arsenal of security features. The processors will be enabled through MPGS, ensuring the safety and security of vital information. Further, as the customer’s cards are required to be issued by one of the supported banks, minimizing the risks of frauds. Apple ecosystem in itself is considered to be one of the most robust systems around. Thus, ApplePay comes with high quality security features, ensuring that the data remains safe.

How does it work?

Apply Pay is a highly popular service which is easy to initiate and operate. The service has been integrated with PayTabs system and requires registration with ApplePay as well as with PayTabs. The process of starting the service differs if the clients want to use the services through webpage or through app. For web access, the merchant will be required to request the feature enablement. On its end, PayTabs will enable AP integration. Then either the common access is provided to them or they are given a new MPGS MID. However, for iOS app, the merchants will be required to enroll in AP program.

Overall, the process of integrating ApplePay with PayTabs has been greatly simplified. The tie up will let PayTabs clients enjoy modern features with robust security protocols, ensuring the integrity of their and customers’ data. The integration will also ensure that the payments are processed in an efficient manner.

5 years ago
PayTabs
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.