Sutton - Toxic client : knowing and avoiding the problem customer

TOXIC CLIENT

Knowing and Avoiding the Problem Customer

By Garrett Sutton

Table of Contents

This publication is designed to provide competent and reliable information regarding the subject matter covered. However, it is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, financial, or other professional advice. Laws and practices often vary from state to state and country to country and if legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a professional should be sought. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any liability that is incurred from the use or application of the contents of this book.

About the individuals and stories in this book: Individuals listed in the Acknowledgments are actual individuals who have agreed to share lessons they have learned with our readers. All other stories of those not listed in the Acknowledgements are fictional, with some based on partial or complete actual events. Some names in the book have been changed to protect the privacy of those particular individuals and businesses. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher. In such case neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

Copyright 2016 by Garrett Sutton, Esq. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published by

Success DNA, Inc.

2248 Meridian Boulevard, Suite H.

Minden, Nevada 89423

The opinions of the author reflects his judgment at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Neither the author nor the publisher are responsible for the accuracy of this data. This book is distributed for informational use only; it does not constitute legal, tax or professional advice and should not be used as such.

I would like to acknowledge the input and valuable assistance of Frank Troppe, Kenji Sax, Cindie Geddes, Mark Goodman, Elizabeth Ryan, Tom Wheelwright, Jessica Santina and Lyn Millard. Thanks to all of you for thoughts, stories and insights.

Books by Garrett Sutton

Start Your Own Corporation

Run Your Own Corporation

The ABCs of Getting Out of Debt

Writing Winning Business Plans

Buying & Selling a Business

Loopholes of Real Estate

How to Use Limited Liability Companies and Limited Partnerships

Finance Your Own Business

Foreword

Your phone rings and you immediately recognize the caller ID. You think: lf this guy is calling me one more time with grief, I am going to reach through the phone, grab him by the throat and squeeze until his eyeballs pop out!

Sound familiar? If you are in any kind of business, I am sure you can relate to this. Its that one client who will not go away. The one who seems to just want to pull the chain of your team and staff, complaining and demanding about either the most mundane things or the most outrageous requests.

There are even some who seem to know how to implant enough truth into their demands that you actually begin to feel like you did something wrong! Now do you know what I mean?

For over 25 years, I have coached, trained and supported thousands of entrepreneurs all over the world. I know as an entrepreneur you want to serve the world, reach as many people as you can, provide an amazing product and service and make a lot of money doing it. Yet in that quest to reach the world, it turns out that you end up reaching some who you would rather not. Ones that can never be satisfied, ones that stress your entire team, or ones that just want you to know they are always around.

Unfortunately, it comes with the territory.

Eighty percent of your good business comes from twenty percent of your clients. And eighty percent of your problems, stress and angst come from another twenty percent. But that is only part of the problem.

Just as problematic is that you could be getting rave reviews from most of your customers, kicking butt all over the market and feeling great about you and your team. But when that one Toxic Client activates their spell on you or your team, all your focus is on that one customer.

Its our natural instinct to focus on the problems. We want them fixed. Yet is it actually healthy to fixate 80% of your energy on those handfuls of thorny issues and clients? Or is it better to take your good energies, intentions and strengths and drive the growth and prosperity of your business?

What if you could spend most of your day growing your business rather than running in circles dealing with problems that are...well...really not that big of a problem?

This book, Toxic Client by my friend Garrett Sutton, is better therapy for you than a team of psychologists. It will free your mind, lift the vague guilt and allow you to focus on your strengths rather than being distracted by the overly squeaky wheels. In a market that looks more like a blizzard, the Toxic Client succeeds in making their presence known. They give us decent feedback from time to time, but if they win the focus of your attention, they have crippled you.

You must have a commitment to excellence. Let it be your strength and not the Achilles Heel that others can prey upon. You must learn to avoid and dismiss the Toxic Client. This book will show you how.

Be awesome.

Blair Singer

Global Training Entrepreneur and Rich Dad Advisor,

Bestselling author of SalesDogs,

Team Code of Honor and

Little Voice Mastery

Introduction:

Who is a Toxic Client?

As an entrepreneur and business owner you are an optimist. You see the positives and plan for the successes.

You must also be a realist. You must plan for the inevitable challenges associated with running a business. You must be aware of all the dark corners. And when it comes to darkness, one of the biggest challenges you will face is the Toxic Client.

The word toxic is not a happy one. Any word synonymous with poison, death and pestilence represents something very serious to avoid. Our natural preferences, our multi-millennial honed instincts, are geared toward staying away from toxicity. Evolution has taught us some very powerful lessons.

But evolution has failed to weed out the toxic people among us, from our places of work and our business relationships. Indeed, with the spread of drug usage and onset of Entitlementia described in Chapters Seven and Eight, the numbers of Toxic Clients have increased. Toxic personalities, from the entitled and narcissist to the bully and manipulator, inhabit our common space. You all know that they are out there.

A Toxic Client is a person that sets you back in a significant way. More than a mere nuisance, they are a distinct detriment to you, your team and your companys morale. In terms of time, money and effort the Toxic Client is a drain on resources and a drag on revenue. The damage wrought by a Toxic Client can be severe. These are not people who simply bother us. These are people capable of poisoning and contaminating entire organizations.

Their toxicity can be a cancer. If you allow it.

This book is about knowing and avoiding the Toxic Client. Again, you know that they are out there. If you have been in business for any length of time you have probably knowingly dealt with at least one of them. If you are to succeed in business over the long term you must know how to identify and dismiss them.

Healthy organizations survive best when not beset by toxins in the form of everyday clients. Business is tough enough with taxation, regulations, competition, price pressures and all the employee issues. To further be challenged by those you are just trying to do business with may seem inconsequential when compared to the aforementioned business risks. But the individual Toxic Client, or a set of policies which encourages multiple Toxic Clients, can more frequently and quickly shut down a business than a government audit or employee harassment claim. Owner beware.