Merci Beaucoup Shop Talk: Bad Customers

Customers, we need them.  We don't always want them, but we need them.  I think we've all had that problem customer, the one with the unreasonable demands on our time and resources.  The one who wants to change their design two days before the wedding.  The one who doesn't understand why handmade sugar flowers cost more than real flowers.  The one that we wish had never walked through our doors!  It's alright, we're friends here, you can admit it!

I was going to title this week's Shop Talk "customer service," but that's just really a fancy way to say "doing your job" isn't it?  Or, selling your product without getting yelled at!  Customer service is just a business phrase that makes customers feel like they're important.  "Look, we're getting service!  Aren't we special?!"  No, you're a customer.  You're entering into a simple barter agreement for goods or services.  I get something, you get something.  I intend for it to be pleasant for both of us, but if it gets out of hand, "I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone."  My point?  Business catch phrases are not necessarily business policy.

You know another phrase that makes customers feel important?  Who has heard "the customer is always right?"  Everyone, no?  Of course you have, it's one of the biggest mantras in retail.  It is also the bigggest lie.

The "customer is always right" is often attributed to Henry Gordon Selfridge, a business man who originally used the phrase in advertisements for Marshall Field & Co. (now Macy's).  He later went on to start Selfridge's in London and was rich and successful.  Because of this he wrote a book with the absurd title of "The Romance of Commerce."  Clearly the man adored his bank account.  In it, Selfridge lauded the ancient business practices of Greece, China, and the East India Company speckled with his words of wisdom which amounted to little more than the kind of things one would hear from a coach before the big game.  Among them was the nugget "the customer is always right" and it is a three headed monster of doom.

The intention of the phrase was to instill in your employees the idea that you should behave as if the customer is always right, even if they are not.  In other words, don't be rude.  It's not meant to be taken literally as so many entitled customers, or even worse, young business owners feel it does today.  You want you're company to be seen as putting the customer first, but in reality, your business comes first, every time.  Every decision you make should be to advance your business goals and protect your brand.  Smart customers understand that while bad customers try and exploit it.

If you are operating a small business under the idea that the customer is always right, you are destined for failure.  I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but it's true.   It was a turn of the century advertising slogan and nothing more.  It was also used in conjunction with a sizable department store where the volume of business could allow for the occasional concession to an irate customer.  But let's face it, irate customers seldom have cause.  

Don't confuse emotion with cause.  If you messed up, make it right.  If they ordered a four tier cake and you only made three, it's cause.  If the invoice says chocolate and you delivered lemon, it's cause.  If they didn't realize their future father-in-law was allergic to strawberries and they had to call an ambulance to the reception and they want to yell at you about it, it's emotion.  You smile, you listen, you secretly clinch your fist behind the counter, you will totally bitch about it later to your friends, but then you pull out the order form and point out what they signed off on (you do make them sign it don't you?) and send your sincerest wishes for their father-in-law's speedy recovery.  And remember, unless you poured arsenic in the batter, you never "ruined" someone's wedding.  That's emotion talking.

Question: Customers who like to flaunt "the customer is always right" to gain free or discounted items are generally bad customers?  True, this is a customer fact!  I will stand by that till the day I die and it all comes down to the increasing sense of entitlement that is sweeping our society.  The current economy doesn't help, but people everywhere, especially younger generations, want more for less and it's not that that is wrong by itself, it's they feel they deserve it.  A customer deserves your attention, they deserve basic human respect, but they don't deserve anything they do not pay for and as the business owner, you set those parameters.

Two of the most shocking examples of entitlement I've ever seen both occurred at the same Sur La Table about a year apart.  The first involved a man who refused to accept the answer given to him by the assistant manager.  She told him that if he wanted to talk to the store manager, he could return tomorrow and even went so far as to say he could knock on the door about a half hour before they opened because the manager would be there. He didn't like that idea and insisted they call the store manager.  When they very kindly reminded the man it was the manager's day off, he said in a very loud voice, and I quote, "Well, he has a cell phone doesn't he?  Call him.  Unless you're telling me you don't have his cell phone number, which is a lie."  

WTF?  Dude wanted to invade another human being's well earned day off because why, he worked in retail?  Maybe he should have the right to drop by the company's owner's place and use the swimming pool too?  No, of course he can't!  And he doesn't have the right to ask for someone to come into work on their day off either.  He was being unreasonable and rude and before he left, flung some misogynistic remarks at the women behind the counter.  Buying a frying pan did not earn him 24 hour access to every employee in the company.  Bad customer.

I was at the same store recently and a woman was trying to return an item.  She had the receipt, she had the product in good condition, it was a simple return.  The cashier handed her back her money and the woman said, "wait, this item is $199 and you only gave me $170."  "Well," said the cashier, "it was on sale when you purchased it, so I can only refund you the purchase amount."  Instead of saying oh, whoops, didn't notice that, sorry, the customer said, "that's unacceptable.  It's $200 and I want $200 back."  Do I need to go on?  Do I need to point out how this customer was a complete and total idiot?  No, because you're smart business people, but I will say that this customer did go on.  And on and on and on.  She wasn't going to leave without money that was never hers.  She didn't deserve it, but she felt entitled to it.  Bad customer, possible petty thief.

And the thing is, I know we all want positive word of mouth so we tend to bend over a little to make that happen, but the simple reality is, unless Oprah is standing in front of you, the average customer has neither the pull nor the ultimate drive to do any serious damage to your business reputation.  The internet is flooded with people barking about something (heck, myself included!), very few actually listen (except you awesome Shop Talk readers who are amazing!).  I had a customer storm out yelling she was gonna tell all her friends and "ruin me."  Three days later one of her friends came in and bought a cake so we obviously know the pull she has with her friends.  People still respond to positive reviews way more than negative ones.  In my experience, do not live in fear of word of mouth.  If you're doing a good job, that performance will always win out.

"The customer is always right" is like the right to bear arms.  I don't disagree with the constitutional right to own a gun, but there is no way in a billion years that our founding fathers ever envisioned the type of massively destructive weapons or ammunition available today.  Similarly, Selfridge had no clue that society would evolve 100 years later to a place where people are constantly taking advantage of each other.  He never saw a customer come in and try and scam him out of a free pair of gloves because after all, the customer is always right!  He lived in a different time.  The phrase is from a different time.  It's outdated and it must go.  

The phrase is so false because it's not about right or wrong, it's about being a professional.  The Shop Talk message has always been about acting like a professional and presenting yourself to your clients as a professional.  No one is wrong, no one is right.  There is a product and a price and a negotiation.  It's business.  If it doesn't work out, there is no failure, there is no blame.  What I hope to impart to you today is that it is okay to step back and admit that this is not gonna work out.  Whether that's you have to let someone leave angry or you recognize a bad customer/problem bride and make up some pleasant excuse why you cannot work together, it's okay.  You can't please everybody and that is a phrase I can get behind!

Now take note, I'm not writing this for customers, I'm writing this for you, the cake shop business owner.  Customers should be treated well, they should be cared for and given the best customer service you can afford, but you can ever forget that you are the professional.  Your time is important, your ideas are important, your business is important.  Bad customers are real and one who's every wish is fulfilled regardless of whether or not it was earned can negate the value of all of that a lot more than one unhappy customer.  

Just remember all the friendly, happy customers you've experienced and let go of the bad ones.  Sometimes we dwell on the negative too much.  The truth is most of our clients have been great and we have loved helping them out with cakes for their big events and I bet you feel the same way.  Concentrate on the positive, be a professional, and never let some old sourpuss interfere with how fun and awesome it is to make cakes for a living!!

 

Comments

[Tennille]

Love it thanks;)

[Jill of Jillicious Desserts]

I've been following your blog for a little while now and I've loved reading the insight you've had running your business, not to mention that I always agree with your posts. As a small business owner of a dessert business, I've encountered these same types of customers and I've always disagreed with that statement "the customer is always right"...it's just not true.
Thanks for another great post--and letting me say in a long winded way, that it was great! :)
Jill

[Preeti]

Completely agree! Although it took me a long time to learn this particular lesson.

[Lola]

I'm speechless!!! Informative and concise. Thanks so much for writing this article. I'm new in the cake business scene so far, my customers have been pretty cool, i suppose it's because they are my friends. I have taken all you've said on board and differentiate between "emotion and cause".Thanks.x

[moncler outlets]

He is a good friend that speaks well of us behind our backs.