...That's what I am slowly still learning. I think that is one of the downfalls of the "personal" aspect of hospitality. I've been experiencing a lot of difficulties the last few weeks with a client that just doesn't quite seem to get it. My hospitality mind wants to just make everything right and appease the client. Kind of the along the lines of "the customer is always right." However, working in sales now, as opposed to operations, I have a lot of other things to consider. There are binding contracts and a lot more potential revenue is on the line. I've found myself torn between trying to smooth things over, but also standing my ground. There truly is a fine line between making the client happy and actually making money on the account. The challenge is to hopefully succeed in both, but, as I said earlier, things don't always go the way you plan.
The second point I have to make, though, is how important it is to just learn and move on. I am still extremely early in my career, and there will inevitably be many more difficult clients that I will have to deal with in the future. I'm sure that it will get easier as I move forward, because I plan on absorbing as much knowledge as I can from each difficulty. What I learned from this one:
1. Communication, communication, communication! Even when you think it's overkill, when dealing with a difficult account, the more the better.
2. Cover your bases. Back yourself up, and make sure you have people to back you up. (colleagues, boss, etc.)
3. Some people just don't know what they're doing, so try to figure this out early on. If they're new to your business, you may need to spell things out word by word. Don't assume they understand.
4. Don't let it get to you! Chances are that whatever the problem is: it's not your fault! Just move on!
Well, that's my wise words of wisdom for the day. Tomorrow's another day, and I'm going to make it a great one!
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