Dealing with the Customer from Hell: A Survival Guide

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Belding zips right along, moving at a smart clip from self-examination
through the art of retail to coping strategies for times when the
customer is truly out of line. Pace, style, true-life examples, and
insight are all working for Belding as he lays out simple but effective
ideas to reduce stress while increasing sales.

First, is it the customer or the salesperson who comes from hell?
Honest self-examination, played out against a background of basic facts
operating in the retail arena, helps to identify the players’
motivations. Once we’ve confirmed our own innocence (or accepted blame
and opted for a self-directed makeover), the author has a handy mnemonic
for the six steps in conflict resolution. LESTER—Listen, Echo,
Sympathize, Thank, Evaluate, and Respond—is a formula designed to cool
conflict, turn angry customers into loyal supporters, and de-stress the
retail frontlines.

The book’s strategies for defusing conflict in any workplace are
easily mastered and can be applied by employees at any level of
authority. It’s a quick read, a great review for managers who should
know this stuff, and the perfect training tool for new hires.