Delivered in Winnipeg, Manitoba this presentation/seminar was to people working in low income housing, where they face a lot of very difficult situations. In the presentation, you get a few sneak peaks at specific techniques Robert Bacal teaches people to work effectively with the distraught and emotional clientele, applicable to many different situations.

1. 1
Working With Difficult Clientele
Seminar: February 10, 2012

2. 2
You CAN Make A Difference
Frustration, Lost Time, Stress, Your Sense of
Lacking Control
Learn The Skills and ALL Benefit

3. 3
What Do You Find The
Most Frustrating or
Challenging About Dealing
With Difficult Clients?

4. 4
What Do People Need To
Calm Down and Work With
You?

5. 5
Exercise
• Customer: [In a flat tone] AHEM! Jerry. I’m here to see Jerry.
• Employee: He’s not in right now, did you have an appointment?
• Customer: Why the hell do I need an appointment. Here, I have this letter
with his name on it, saying I’m not getting housing, and saying I should
contact you. So, I’m contacting you NOW [throws paper at employee].
• Employee: Uh, it doesn’t mean you can just walk in. You have to make
an appointment first. I don’t care that you didn’t know that.
• Customer: I get it. What’s wrong with you people? Don’t you care that I
have a family that’s got nowhere to go? Typical government, lazy, stupid and
slow. Doesn’t anyone care?
• Employee: I understand where you’re coming from, but he’s not here,
and I’d thank you not to make insulting remarks.
• Customer: You don’t know s*** about me. And since I pay your salary, I’ll
say any damn thing I want to say.

6. 6
• Customer: I just gave you the damned letter. I applied for housing and I got
this letter back saying I’m not eligible, or I’m on some waiting list or
something...and now I’m going to be homeless and so are my kids. I can’t
keep coming back here or I’m going to lose my job too. Is that what you
want?
• Employee: Don’t be silly. I’m here to help, and I don’t want you to lose
your job...you just should have made an appointment.
• Customer: Good Lord, you’re stupid. I don’t even want to talk to you
anymore. I'm not leaving here until I talk to someone who knows what’s
going on.
• Employee: Sir, that’s offensive. I’m not stupid and you aren’t going to
get very far by being insulting.

7. 7
• Employee: OK. OK. What is it you wanted to see Jerry about?
• Customer: [from between clenched teeth] I W*A*N*T to speak to someone
NOW.
• Employee: [now feeling nervous] OK, It’s against the rules but I’ll see if
Mary Jones can squeeze you in. Have a seat and I’ll see what I can do.
• Customer sits in a chair close by, muttering to himself. Employee goes to the
back, and talks to Mary Jones briefly.
• Employee: [returning] Ms. Jones has agreed to see you, but it will be a
while, so you’ll just have to wait since I don’t know how long it will be.
• Customer sits, continuing to glance at watch, sighing heavily. After about
twenty minutes, Mary Jones comes out.
• Mary: What is it you want, Sir?

8. 8
Defusing Principles
• Don't Take The Bait
(and it's all bait)
• What You Focus
On You Get More
Of
• If You Lose
Control, You Lose
• Deal With Feelings
First
• Don't Ask
Questions You
Don't Want To Hear
Answers To

9. 9
The CARP System(click here for free defusing videos)
C ontrol
A cknowledge
R efocus
P roblem Solve

10. 10
Observing, Being Prepared
and Starting Interactions
Effectively
• Observing
• The Pre-Emptive Strike
• Control From The Start

11. 11
The Power of Surprise
• Telephone Silence
• Humor (High Risk, High Gain)
• Verbal Self-Defence Tactics

12. 12
More Tactics
• Time-Out and Disengage
• Referral To Third Party
• Limit Setting

13. 13
Verbal Self-Defence Tactics
Getting Control
• Distraction Technique
• Topic Grab
• Broken Record
• You're Right!
• When Question
• Neutral Mode

14. 14
The When Question
When did you start thinking (or feeling)
that [rephrase a part of what the
person said so it's non-inflammatory]

15. 15
Neutral Mode
• That's interesting (or some other neutral
statement). Some people do think (feel)
that... [rephrase the attack in a bland,
neutral way].

16. 16
More Resources
If It Wasn't For The Customers, I'd Really Like This Job (book)
The Customer Service Zone (website)
Free Angry Customer Videos and Tutorials