Customer Emotional Meltdown and What To Do About It

By: Doug Emerson, The Profitable Horseman

“She’s a screaming crazy woman,” the professional horseman said in disgust, “and she’s trying to make me that way, too. She’s just not logical and everything in the barn is a drama even though there’s no stage!”

Have you ever had a customer like that?

Unlike emotional chaos, logic is a wonderful process for keeping order as well as problem solving. Most likely, you were persuaded to think logically in your school classes and by your mentors too. Therefore, you may conclude, in theory, logic will help you solve all customer problems.

But in reality, logic is not reliable. That’s because, in business, you deal with people whose emotions are always the trump suit over your logic. The hard truth is logic works only when both parties are thinking logically. And, with the exception of a few logic-anchored individuals, most customers are driven by emotion.

Consider these examples:

• In the car business, customers choose model and options over fuel efficiency and price
• In the clothing business, customers choose style and image over fit and value
• In the horse business, customers choose breed and color over training and suitability

Part of the blame for actions and decisions powered by emotions rather than cool logic is directed at the emotional section of the brain. It has been suggested that the emotion section of the brain sends ten times as many messages to the rational section of the brain as the rational section sends back. This means the emotional section of the brain dominates internal self talk. The emotional section of the brain has difficulty hearing, “shut up!” from the rational section.

If you’re in business to earn a profit, it makes good sense to get better at working with emotional customers and emotional parents of students. And you can be sure men can be just as emotional as women!

Tips on dealing with emotional customers:

• Identify the common causes of emotional responses like: Fear, Frustration, and Regret.
• Learn what triggers emotional responses in your customers.
• Resist offering logical reasoning as a counter argument when a customer is highly emotional. It’s illogical.
• Let the customer “dump her bucket” of emotional thoughts and fears first, by just listening without interruption.
• Then, after the emotion bucket is empty, your contribution of logic and rational thinking will begin to be accepted to help manage her expectations and temper her emotions.

Granted, some customers never seem to move from emotional and irrational to logical and rational. Frequently fired as customers, this small group will always be looking for a new boarding barn, instructor, and trainer.

But, the majority of your clients are acting like humans when they become emotional, much like a horse acts when it is frightened, annoyed, or threatened.

Isn’t it funny how a good horseman patiently helps an emotionally charged and fearful horse settle and calm himself from his fears, but can have so much difficulty helping an emotionally influenced customer do the same?

Your current customers, not including the frequently fired group, are your best and easiest source for ongoing revenue. You are already an expert in horse handling skills. Why not develop your expertise in human handling skills?

Doug Emerson helps professional horsemen struggling with the business half of the horse business. Visit his website: www.ProfitableHorseman.com for more articles like this one and to subscribe to his free electronic newsletter about being profitable in the horse business.