Five Tips on How to Deal with Difficult Clients

Right now, we are living through a very stressful time, which feels like an understatement. Everyone is on edge, making some of our normal interactions laced with tension. So, when you’re dealing with an emotional client or just someone making your job more difficult, your first response might be to raise your voice or snap defensively. We promise, no matter how satisfying this might be initially it will just make the situation worse.

Maintaining a good working relationship with your clients is the only way you will have a successful practice. It could hurt your business if by word of mouth, or online review, you become known as someone who doesn’t serve their client. Below we have listed a few tips that could help you stay calm so you can do your job well, even if you’re working with a difficult client. 

Create Boundaries

Pause before saying yes- Let the client know you’ll get back to them after you’ve checked your schedule or thought about it. It may seem that this would cause more problems than solve, but it keeps your client from expecting your immediate attention and prevents you from responding emotionally or unprofessionally. Establishing boundaries can be uncomfortable but will help maintain a healthy working relationship with your client.

Set Realistic Expectations 

You need to be honest with the client about what they can expect and what you can deliver. By being realistic from day one you can avoid uncomfortable conversations later. It’s easier to maintain customer satisfaction when you aren’t under-delivering on everything you discussed when they first signed on. 

Acknowledge the Clients’ Feelings

Don’t argue with your client! I know this feels like an impossible task for an attorney, but it won’t help anything. The best way to deal with an upset client is to acknowledge their feelings, stay calm, and try to come up with a solution together. You need to try and understand where your client is coming from, that is the only way to defuse the situation. 

Focus on the Positive 

When you hear someone say, “never tell a client no,” it’s not because you can’t set boundaries with your client (see above- you totally can). It’s because the best approach is to be positive, don’t just give your client a definitive, negative answer. Try spinning some silver linings into your response by focusing on the best-case scenario or providing alternate approaches. By remaining positive, you can handle most situations. 

Don’t Get Defensive

This can be a difficult one for everybody. When you feel like you’re being attacked or misrepresented you automatically want to come to your own defense. If a client is upset about something they feel you mishandled, take a deep breath before you react. You’ll want to acknowledge their feelings (like previously mentioned) and apologize. This will help de-escalate the situation which will then provide you an opportunity to explain what happened. 

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