Let’s face it, some home inspection clients can be hard to handle. However, in an effort to remain professional and maintain inspection business, it’s important to remember the classic business slogan that states “The customer is always right”. Well, not really, but we still have to know how to deal with the ones that are difficult! Here are 5 tips to help you deal with difficult clients.
Make compromises
If a client is giving you a rough time, try to meet them half way. For example, if a situation occurs where your particular home inspection client makes an outrageous request, try your best to strike a compromise to meet in the middle as a way to satisfy the customer and maintain your business integrity.
Never neglect your professionalism
Regardless of whether or not a client is acting difficult, keep in mind that you need to remain professional. Never make an attempt to shout back, say inappropriate things or neglect the requested service of any client. Even though a client may act difficult, it’s extremely important to reassure that client of one thing: you are a professional there to do a job!
Offer opportunities to continually promote business
Despite a difficult client, keep in mind the importance of their business. Try to offer promotions and discounts to clients that give you a hard time. Doing this shows a gesture of respect for your client, despite their behavior. It also gives you the opportunity to promote your business and help that not-so-easy client to see that overall, your mind is on keeping them satisfied. Like the wise saying goes, “Kill them with kindness”.
Respectfully receive negative feedback
If a home inspection client is being difficult and dishing out negative feedback, Â take it! Bad reviews need to be taken seriously in business. Difficult clients may not always act satisfied and give nice feedback. However, take those comments as ways to improve yourself and your business. Don’t take it personal.
Keep a straight face
Ever heard the old saying “Don’t wear your emotions on your sleeve”? Well this is so true in business. As a client gives you a hard time, it’s important not to allow your personal emotions to respond to that client. It is never acceptable to deal with a difficult client by being more difficult. Put your game face on and do the job!
So overall, understand that your priorities are to maintain business by keeping and building clientele. Even your difficult clients need your home inspection service. Learn how to handle them, your business counts on it!
Great advice. I’ve had a difficult client or two, plus one or two realtors who apparently really didn’t want to be there. That’s ok. I try to really understand their concerns, even if it means doing the inspection in a different order that I normally would so I’m addressing their concerns first.
Most of the problems I’ve had with realtors have been over the time needed to do the inspection properly. I tell them right up front that “we’re going to be here for about three hours or so” and thank them periodically for being patient. So much of it really boils down to basic professionalism and diplomacy. Thanks for the reminders.
I think that it is much harder said than done to gracefully accept negative feedback, especially as a building inspector. I am not a building inspector; however, I am grateful for their work to make sure that we can live safely. I think that if we all can understand each other better, we would not have issues. Thanks again!
I really want to say this I enjoyed this whole article it looks like some tricky method or the circumstance made it. It’s really a nice and helpful piece of info.
Thank you for the helpful advice. Everybody gets an unhappy client at some point. Clients can become difficult or hard to work with for several reasons, some more justified than others. Regardless of fault or reasoning, it pays to know how to deal with difficulty when it arises in a way that best allows you to come out of the scenario with a trustworthy and authoritative stance during the resolution. Essentially it comes down to maintaining professional control of the situation.
Great article, I found it helpful as we are new home inspectors. I think these 5 tips will help us as we begin our journey in house inspections.
I feel very proud when I read your article on combined building inspection service in Perth city. Other citizen of Perth city like it very much, because every person is in this thought that if he or she purchase any building that is good or not. But after reading your blog they also feel that building inspection is how much important and what are the advantage of it.
I really like what you had to say here about how to better deal with home inspection clients. One thing that I thought was really important was that you mentioned how you should meet your clients half way because then they can understand that you are trying to satisfy their needs. A friend of mine has been thinking about hiring a building inspector, and I think that it would be beneficial for him to know that he should find someone that is professional. Thanks for the post, and I will make sure that he finds someone who will respectfully take feedback.
These tips apply to all clients in general, great advice indeed! I like that you are promoting optimism in such dire situations. I agree, if clients make outrageous demands, stay professional and compromise. Sometimes, it is tempting to lose your cool when difficult situations escalate, you always find yourself regretting it at the end. And great advice on taking negative feedback as a way to improve your business.
Thanks for pointing out that a good inspector will try to offer promotions and discounts to protect the perceived importance of their business. My husband and I are interested in buying commercial property soon, so we’ll need to have the building inspected first. I think the advice you shared will be helpful as we start looking for the right commercial building inspector!
Having business of building and pest inspections, I have face lot of clients and sometimes it is very difficult to deal with but with the help of this article, hope so this not happens in the future.
Keep up the good work 🙂
I’m not so keen on offering a negative client promos and discounts. I’ve tended to see the negative clients use this to receive these as expectations and further grows their unwarranted behavior. If it was warranted, obviously that’s a different story.
I have had parents (especially “the dad”) be more thorns than their adult son/daughter. Most of the time I win them over through patience and explanation that I know how to do my job.
For the difficult client who just can’t be pleased. I’d say stay patient, professional, finish without errors, and move on. A discount will only foster their behavior. If they’re a jerk, they don’t need to be rewarded for being one.