Turn the tables on them. Tell them you recently lost your dad who had fought a long battle with cancer. He left you his car.
They may well wish they hadn't mentioned it. Dai
did he?
Its amasing just how important it is to get a customer’s sympathy at a time of misperception or conflict. Not that I am condoning telling of fibs to customers, because if she ever finds out the truth she will never trust you again which is not a good basis for a long term customer relationship. But I had to chuckle as this comment did make me think back to a period in my misspent youth overseas.
I was in my late teens and not as fit as I should have been. We were doing a 20 kilometre charity walk on a hot Sunday morning. I was half jogging and walking but most of my energy was going in huffing and puffing and feeling I was about to have a heart attack at any moment. Two slightly older women came slowly jogging past me. The one was obviously trying to motivate the other and said in a louder voice than she meant to, “see we are even doing better than that young man that is supposed to be fitter and stronger than we are.”
Out of sheer cussedness I yelled back that I wasn’t doing to badly for just having had a triple heart bypass.
This lady then stopped jogging and turned around and profusely apologised for her comment and wished me a speedy recovery. Never saw them again. To this day I still regret that comment.
As time has gone on and I have got older, we sometimes get sympathy in other ways. My son and I were out canvassing one evening about 3 months ago and got the front windows of a house belonging to a young lady and her fiancé. She was shocked a few days later that I was the one using this heavy pole and brush – surely it would have been the young un that would be doing the hard work. Are you sure you are OK? Can I get you something to drink?
Well you know – someone’s got to do it. Beggars can’t be choosers. Maybe one day she will get to see that this pole and brush are not so heavy after all and then her opinion of me will probably hit rock bottom.
Spruce.
