How to Deal With a Contrarian Customer
When it comes to dealing with difficult customers, contrarians easily fall in the top 10 of the most frustrating.
Contrarian customers are the ones who seem intent on challenging anything and everything you say. If you recommend “A”, they will take “B.” When you outline the benefits, they counter with the flaws. When you try to clarify your understanding of their needs, they will correct you. Contrarians are exhausting – particularly when they’re people you have to deal with frequently, such as internal customers.
They like to zig while others are zagging
Sometimes it’s deliberate – a tactic to play with your confidence and create a stronger negotiating position. Most of the contrarians we encounter, however, aren’t quite that calculating. Zigging, when everyone else is trying to zag, is simply part of their personality. It’s a habit, and they are often unaware of what they’re doing. It’s not just you – they likely do this as instinctively in their personal lives as they do in business.
You may be misreading them
When you listen closely to contrarians, you’ll often discover that they aren’t really disagreeing with you. They’re instinctively pointing out different perspectives – and they enjoy the discussion that follows. It’s a trait often seen with academics, or people in the sciences, engineering or philosophy – fields where the term ‘argument’ isn’t a confrontation but an exploration of different perspectives.
Don't get defensive - get interested
The biggest (and most common) mistake you can make is to get defensive and begin arguing. That only forces them to dig their heels in – causing an unnecessary escalation. Rather than get defensive, get interested. Acknowledge their comments to let them know you respect their perspectives.
The next step is to use a directed question to move the conversation back on point. Here are a few examples:
Optometrist: It looks like you need glasses for distance.
Contrarian: Wearing glasses just weakens your eyes, and then they become dependent on them.
Optometrist: Perhaps, although I’ve not seen that happen. What would you like to do?
—
Mechanic: You’re due for an oil change.
Contrarian: Ah, these new cars don’t need those frequent oil changes anymore.
Mechanic: There is some truth in that. Yours is pretty dirty though. What do you think?
—
Shipping clerk: I’ll need to get that shipping order by 4:00 p.m. today for it to go out tomorrow morning.
Salesperson: The warehouse guys always want a lot of lead time. They can squeeze it in in the morning if need be.
Shipping clerk: I’ve seen that happen once or twice, but I wouldn’t count on it. What would you like to do?
Questions move things forward
When you use a question to put the decision into the contrarian’s lap, you avoid an argument – and at the same time force them to weigh the different perspectives instead of just presenting them.
