How to respond to a difficult customer

Rich Gallagher, author of What to Say to a Porcupine, said: “You can never effectively criticize people or say 'no' to them--no matter how 'right' you are--because we all have a strong survival instinct that causes us to react to being challenged.” Instead, Rich advises to focus on what you can do for a customer, no matter how small it is.

NO: I’m not the right person to fix this.
YES: I want to make sure this gets fixed for you, and I’m going to put you in touch with the right person to help you.

NO: It’s the end of my shift.
YES: We will stick with this issue until we resolve it, and my partner Sally is going to take over from here.

NO: I can’t give you a refund.
YES: If it will help you get something you like, I can give you a 20% discount.

NO: We can’t possibly do that.
YES: Given what you want, let’s look at some options.