Most photographers have a moment in the past when they simply wish they could go back and undo their approach to an unhappy customer.  I’m not saying you always have to give in, but just for a moment think about the true cost of taking a hard line with an upset client.

Today’s social media structure gives an unhappy customer incredible reach and has the potential to severely damage your reputation in the community.  David Ziser once commented that the younger the bride, the more friends she has who will be getting married.  He works hard to maintain great relationships with ALL of his clients, but his younger brides are even more important to building his reputation and business.

Now, think about the reverse of David’s comment and think about how many friends that same bride can influence if she’s simply unhappy.  Most of the stories I hear about, regarding unhappy brides, typically relate to their disappointment in the quality of the images or the coverage.  Some of this is fixable later on, some of it only fixable by the photographer becoming a better storyteller.

You may not be able to do anything with some of your old problem customers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t work to keep building better relationships with everyone going forward.   Most important of all, remember that the majority of clients, if they have a complaint, it usually falls under the category of the photographer not meeting their mindset.

There’s an easy solution for that in the future – listen more talk less.  Restate to your client what you believe you heard them ask for.  Most important of all, at the very first sign of disappointment from a client – take a deep breath and then go to work on neutralizing the challenge.  Digging your heels in and taking a stand is rarely going to be the right answer from a customer service perspective.

I may have used this a while back, but Abraham Lincoln wrote:

Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality.  It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions. And the actions which speak louder than the words.

It is making the time when there is none.  Coming through time after time after time, year after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the power to change the face of things.  It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism.”

Be committed to your clients.  Be committed to the quality of your work and your images.  And most important of all remember:  ”It’s never to late to do the right thing!” (Walk the Talk, www.walkthetalk.com)