When dealing with customers, you can clearly convey "no" without ever having to say the word. For example, iInstead of "no, we don't have that," try saying, "I certainly see how that would be useful and helpful, but I'm afraid we don't have that at this time," or "While we don't currently have what you are looking for, we appreciate knowing what you want so that we can continue to improve our service." Positive language, delivered correctly keeps the door open for future customer interactions, and the customer will not feel as though it was a waste of their time. 

You are in business, which means you have customers that have absolutely made you feel this way.  We have all been put in that tough position of dealing with a very unhappy, angry, and/or irrational customer, and at times, we have a hard time keeping our cool.  Here are some simple quotes (that we are revisiting from before), along with my take on them, which will give you advice and tips for handling these tough customers and situations...

One of the most effective approaches is to take full responsibility for the lack of communication.  After all, it may well be that your question was unclear.  Why not give the other person the benefit of the doubt?  You might confess you don't remember whether she gave you the information you needed...or acknowledge that you may not have grasped her explanation.  Unless the person is being evasive, she'll be glad to comply.

- Jo-Ellan Dimitrius, Ph.D., and Wendy Patrick Mazzarella, Reading People

There is so much to learn from those who have proven themselves to be great in their field. So who better to learn from than the great hotelier himself, Bill Marriott. I have enormous respect for this man and the empire that his family built beginning in 1927 with a nine-stool root beer stand that grew into the Hot Shoppes Restaurant chain and evolved into today’s Marriott International hotel company. His success is obvious, but what I love about this company is the attention to important details that are always put forth by a simple, basic, and very actionable message, as you can see above in Mr. Marriott's 12 Rules of Being a Successful Manager. This is how 90 years later Marriott business is more than booming. 

 
From the very first second that you meet a prospective customer, you must have your A-game turned on. Then, every single interaction thereafter should reflect that same level of attention to the service you are giving with the impression that you are making. So how do you get there? It certainly starts with your employees; those who are on your front line and are the faces of your business. Are they happy employees? Well, they need to be. We have effective tips to help get them there if they are not. The quality that your business delivers is what will keep customers knocking on your door and telling others about you. Make your goal to be iconic, like Gucci has been, in your service, delivery, and quality. Read on for some great, quick articles to help you get there.