You’ve lined up the perfect clients, given them all the education about the products you sell, you answered questions and you’ve made a good sale—something you’ve done a hundred times before. So, what do you do when that client isn’t happy with you’re A-game? For financial advisors, keeping clients happy can be tricky. Many products sold can fluctuate; one day it’s making money and the next it’s not. Customers may become upset when this happens, they may think they’ve made a mistake investing their money and they are going to take it out on you. The best way to handle unhappy clients and negative feedback are as follow:

• Do not, under any circumstances, simply brush off your client’s complaints. You are their advisor and as such you have a responsibility to listen closely to their concerns.
• Ask Questions. The nest step after listening is to ask questions, not just any questions, specific questions that will help you fully understand the complaint. Asking questions shows that you are listening and that you want to help your clients clear up any issues.
• Keep your emotions in check. This is not the time to get defensive. Yes, you might be completely in the right and know more than the customer, but a defensive attitude won’t help you solve the problem. Keep your cool and work on a solution.
• Empathize with your customer. Mentally switching roles with your client might help you see their complaint a little better and understand their point of view. Trying to understand your customers will diffuse tense situations and aid in finding a solution.
• Take a little time. Solutions don’t come immediately and in many cases, will take some time to figure out. Let your clients know you are going to get to the bottom of their concern but that you will need some time to really dig into the issues at hand. Giving yourself some time will help you find an adequate solution.

There will always be customers who are less than satisfied, even after doing your best to rectify their problems. If  you’ve given your best and they are still unhappy the last step is to let it go and focus on doing better for the next client.