When to Tell a Customer No

By David Kiger

Introduction

The sales theory that “the customer is always right” holds a lot of water with some people, but there are times when a sales rep has to tell someone no. Not every request can be honored, and not every demanding client is a good account. In a recent blog post, Worldwide Express went over several situations in which a salesperson might need to turn a client down, including these:

Situations

- If the client has false impressions. Sometimes clients really are just wrong. If they have unrealistic beliefs about what a product will do for them, letting them continue under incorrect assumptions isn’t a good idea. You owe your clients the truth, even when that means correcting them.

- If the customer is eating up more than his share of your time. “Squeaky-wheel” clients can only get so much grease before spending time with them stops being economical. If you have clients whose demands on your time are unreasonable, you may need to start telling them no so that you can focus your time on clients who work with you respectfully.