You are "sales in charge"of Wal-Mart and you found yourself in a peculiar situation. An elderly customer is making an unreasonable demand and is creating a scene. How would you handle this situation? Would you stick to your offer or give in to the customers demands so that you don’t lose him. The paragraphs below will show you how with the help of fluent English, you can be firm and convince the customer to reconsider his demands.

Things to keep in mind:

1. Stand your ground

In case of unreasonable demands, it is important to stand your ground and don’t let go. If you adhere to his demands, the customer will take you for granted and soon, other shoppers will follow the line. It is true that customers are the king, but a line has to be drawn somewhere otherwise it will lead to complications later on.

Example: “I am sorry Sir, but I can't accomodate  your demand and would request you to reconsider”.

2. Never lose your temper

It is tempting to lose our self control and lash out at the offending customer. But, remember that such an action can lead to embarrassing situations and a bad name for your store. The goodwill of the retail store rests on how you handle such situation and your overall behavior.

Sample Conversation:

Situation: A regular customer is asking for a 30% discount instead of the usual 15% and is now beginning to create a scene.

Customer: “Look here, I know you guys make a lot of profit, so why don’t you give me a 30% discount?”

You: “Sir, It’s not about our profit. We are selling at a predetermined margin and we are not the ones who decide it. We are just selling products on behalf of the manufacturer.”

Customer: “I don’t care; you will have to give me the discount which I want.”

You: “Sorry Sir, But that is not possible.”

Customer: “What do you mean not possible? Is this how you treat your customers?”

You: “We give utmost importance and priority to our esteemed customers who are loyal and reasonable. But the customers should understand that there are some things beyond our control.”

Customer:  “I don’t want to know anything. Give me the 30% discount or else I will leave now.”

You: “Sir I would like to give it  to you however  it is not possible ,but since you have been an old customer with us I can offer you 16% discount which is my within my authority .I or any other manager can't offer discounts beyond this. ”

The above conversation shows clearly how to handle a customer who is unreasonable and impolite. By following the above guidelines along with strong English communication, you will keep the name of your store safe. For more samples, you can take the help of free online English tutorials.

About eAgeTutor:

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- By Monika Agarwal

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