Hi, my name is Nata Novoselova, I have been engaged in career guidance for 12 years, I am a co-founder of the International School of Career Choice "Punct B" and I had dissatisfied clients!
And now I have a completely different reaction to the phrase: “Natalia... you know... and I expected a completely different ...”
My emotions about situations:
“You know, I didn’t have a WOW effect!”
“This is not what I expected of you. I thought you were going to tell me things I never thought about, and things that no one ever told me.
"This is not what I wanted..."
Then and now they are two planets!
Let me start with the most important thing: prevention.
[Of course, prevention is the best option]
Yes! It is always possible to make such clients become much less in your practice.
Good advice #1
Always use the brief - at the very first stage, send the client an ANCETU, where be sure to ask your client one important question:
What will be the best thing for you to do with our work?
And be sure to include in this brief an item like this:
Please note that the outcome of our work depends equally on me as a consultant and on you as a client.
[This can be written at the bottom under * small print - BUT IMPORTANT to convey to the client]
Good advice number 2.
If in communication with the client at the stage of acquaintance and his first call you have fears that it will be a difficult case [in all senses of the word], sometimes it is better to tactically refuse to work with the client.
Example: if the client when meeting you says that before you he worked with different specialists and NO one helped him! No one wants you to be a customer... The one who says "thank you!" You helped me! 🙂
Good advice #3
Always remember that it is absolutely normal when the client is unhappy with the result of career guidance.
Now let’s move on to SOS when the customer is already unhappy.
→ The first is to get feedback from the client [ideally in writing] that he is not happy with. This is important for error work and reflection.
→ Second, you can change something about your approach, your communication with your client, your program, if you're not the first customer to give you that feedback.
Third, be sure to discuss this complex client case with colleagues in your professional community. Get support and hear from other colleagues that “That’s OK!”
Fourth, remember other successful cases and situations where customers were satisfied, very satisfied and just happy after working with you!
There were a lot more of them. Right?
→ Five: Discuss this situation with your therapist or coach.
I wish all the coolest clients who will be satisfied with the result, your recommendations and be sure to advise you as an expert to all their friends and acquaintances.