Seger Theuns often has this situation as director of myBrand – an IT company: if he takes over the services from other companies (clients), they always respond with enthusiasm. But if there is something that must be provided,which sometimes goes wrong, then: “A clear ‘no’ would help”.
Theuns is always led by the saying: “Be honest, direct and always think of the long term relationship”. To find out if he is right, the research bureau Markteffect studied how negative it is to reject customers. The agency interviewed 500 business decision makers and reached the following insights:
1. Saying ‘no’ is respected:
Saying 'no' is correctly valued, according to 77% of respondents, and it even has a positive effect on the relationship. “It is seen as a sign that someone guarantees the quality of his or her services”. In addition, a quarter of the business decision makers derive a sense of trust and equality.
2. Always be evident:
“The greatest pain arises when customers feel that they are rejected because they do not have enough priority”, says Theuns. 16% of respondents see a rejection as a sign to indicate that the business relationship is not good enough. To take away that feeling immediately, you have to be crystal clear. “You have to explain very well why it was made. In many cases there is still frustration, but a good explanation goes over into acceptance”.
In practice, Theuns know, there are two reasons to say ‘no’. Either you do not have the skills in-house to deliver what is asked for; or you are can do it, but you cannot deliver it now. In either case, you must identify the reason immediately.
3. Refer to the competitor:
Whoever really believes in long-term collaboration will then refer to the competitor. “For many people it seems strange at first, when in fact it has a particularly positive effect”, says Theuns. According to him, customers find you instantly honest, and in the future will comeright back to you when they need something else.
4. Never keep customers on a leash:
Many entrepreneurswho are uncertain if they can help a client,will choose to stall instead, and say, “I think we can do this but I will check and get back to you”. However kind it may sound, it is not positive for the relationship if it later emerges that you cannot deliver the service.
“You must always be aware that the customer is weighing the possible solutions to a problem really carefully. If you unnecessarily delay this process, it can be rather annoying”. A clear ‘no’ is much more pleasant. In addition, it holds that the breach of trust in 85% of this situation leads to rethinking the relationship.
5. Be strict:
This is another positive critical attitude. “If a provider says‘yes’ but does not deliver the service, it is good to draw conclusions from that. Especially if it turns out from the track records that you are not the first disappointed customer”.
Source: http://www.rtlnieuws.nl