How do you deal with difficult customers?
A florist asked the other day, “How do you “break up” with a customer?” In other words, what should you say when you can tell that a client isn’t going to be a good fit?
In this case, the customer did not sign a contract or send a deposit yet, so it’s really more like parting ways than breaking up.
And while it’s not always easy to do, telling a client that you won’t be working with them doesn’t have to be complicated.
The fact is there are 4 little words you can use to handle a difficult customer: “I’m no longer available.”
That’s it!
- No need to say you’ve booked another event if that’s untrue!
- Don’t over explain your reason for deciding they’re “not a good fit”.
- And you certainly shouldn’t pretend that you “appreciate their interest in working with you” if you’re about to give them the boot!
“I’m/we’re no longer available” is all you need, followed by a referral to another florist if possible.
You don’t want to say the wrong thing and insult a customer while trying to let them down easy.
But do you know what might be worse? Sticking with a customer who isn’t a good fit because you simply didn’t know how to bow out gracefully!
The reason I share this is because difficult customer conversations need to happen from time to time, but it shouldn’t be a mystery to you or your employees on how to deal with them swiftly and professionally.
And I’ve been making these tough conversations easier for the past decade with Email Templates for Florists.
Get my Emails HERE!
These templates save you time! And florists often tell me they use my e-mail templates the same day they buy them! Copy, paste, rinse, repeat! (You can see a list of the topics included in the templates below!).
You can also upgrade to add all of my Wedding Templates so you have everything you need at your fingertips to take the lead on client communication.
Get templates HERE
Here’s what you get in 10 Difficult Conversations:
How to…
- Tell someone you can no longer “hold their date”.
- Present a proposal that’s over budget.
- Ask someone why they did NOT book with you.
- Tell someone you’re not a good fit for their event.
- Reply to a complaint.
- Bill for damaged or missing rental items after an event.
- Explain you won’t order flowers until full payment is received.
- Tell someone that their most recent changes/additions will result in a price increase.
- Tell someone you will not update their proposal (again) or meet (again) without a deposit.
- Respond when a wedding is cancelled.
*Plus a bonus template: How to Ask For A Testimonial.
And here’s what’s included in 12 Frequent Conversations:
How to…
- Say, Hello in an introduction e-mail.
- Present a minimum.
- Present a proposal, contract and invoice.
- Tell someone you’re unavailable for their date.
- Tell someone you will not lower your price.
- Follow up if you don’t hear back from a prospect.
- Tell someone you cannot hold their date without deposit.
- Confirm receipt of contract & deposit.
- Confirm receipt of contract, but missing deposit.
- Confirm receipt of deposit, but missing contract.
- Request final changes and final payment.
- Confirm receipt of final payment before event.
*Plus I’ve added a bonus with 5 e-mail etiquette tips.
You can check out the EXACT way I address the most common and sometimes difficult customer conversations and take advantage of templates that are proven to work.
Just $58 HERE
On the other hand, you can ask ChatGPT (powered by Artificial Intelligence) to help you out with your customer service & communication, but I wouldn’t suggest it! Difficult conversations deserve a human touch. (And based on my real life experience, AI always says a little bit too much and that opens the door to customer pushback! And nobody’s looking for that.)
