Overcoming Challenging Client Relationships For Tammy’s Beauty Salon Sale

Overcoming Challenging Client Relationships To Achieve A Successful Sale

Emotions can run high during business sale transactions and overcoming challenging client relationships takes finesse from the broker.

As business brokers, we encounter people from all walks of life. This can be beneficial, particularly because we enjoy meeting and learning about new people. Many of the buyers and clients we meet will become long-term professional relationships and, in some cases, lifelong friends.

However, there are times when you may have to sell to someone you don’t like. This can be a problem because our natural human instinct is to avoid people we don’t like. However, if business brokers and clients only sell to people they like, they might be leaving a lot of money on the table.

The business sales process is not always smiles and rainbows for the Bonza team. We sometimes find ourselves dealing with increasingly impossible-to-please, nagging, negative, or arrogant clients. Sellers may be angry about the ebbs and flows of enquiry. Buyers may be unsatisfied with the negotiation processes. Others can blame the broker for their financial shortfalls. In today’s market, numerous sellers and buyers may be unhappy with each other or with a transaction, putting the broker in the middle.

At Bonza, we have seen it all and are skilled at overcoming tricky client relationships. Our team understand that it takes listening and responding in positive ways to achieve the desired outcome. This was especially true with our sale of Tammy’s beauty salon.

Tammy originally contacted Bonza in the midst of the pandemic to sell her Sydney based beauty salon. With uncertainty and lockdowns casting a negative light on the potential for the beauty industry, the team at Bonza got to work on showcasing the salon in the best light. Enquiry levels were slow yet steady. Before long Tammy received the result she was hoping for – there was a very serious enquiry on her business. It just happened to be from someone who she knew personally and had shared differences with in the past.

The Bonza broker team are skilled at keeping emotions in check and ensuring that both parties remain focused on the end goal. This meant that Tammy was able to sell her business and move on in a new direction sooner than she expected.

If you ever find yourself in a position where you are dealing with clients and buyers who you don’t get along with, here are some great tips to help:

Find A Common Interest

You might not have a good initial impression of someone, but there’s always something that you can find to like. Instead of dwelling on the personality flaws that are driving you crazy, focus on something about the person that you can appreciate.

Maybe they’re a dog lover like you or have a similar taste in movies. Whatever it is, figure out something you like and then focus on it to make it easier to continue going through the sales process with that person.

Don’t Take It Personally

 While personal relationships are important in business sales, it is also important to learn how not to take business personally. Your interactions with the prospect are simply business transactions.

Recognize this fact and train yourself not to take anything that occurs during this professional transaction personally. It will not only make it much easier to sell to someone you dislike, but you will also become much better at dealing with rejection.

Focus On The End Goal

Sometimes we get too caught up in our own personal feelings and lose sight of what really matters in business sales: results and the sale of your business. Sure, you may not like someone, but you’re here to achieve a sale, make money, and move on with you life. To be honest, your personal feelings about someone’s personality have absolutely nothing to do with those things.

Put Yourself In Their Shoes

We may mistakenly believe that someone is dislikeable solely because they are not doing what we want them to do. If a prospect fails to provide the answers you want, you may instinctively conclude that you don’t like them.

However, try to take a step back. Perhaps there is a compelling reason why your business doesn’t suit or solution isn’t working for them that has nothing to do with their personality. Put yourself in their shoes, and you’ll have a much better chance of closing the deal.

Let It Go

It’s a difficult pill to swallow, but you must know when to stop trying to sell to someone and move on. If you’ve tried everything above and the deal is still not moving forward, you should cut your losses and move on to a more receptive buyer.

The bottom line is that you only have control over yourself and your own actions. Instead of fixating on the negative, focus on your strategy for the future. Before long this sale will be in the past and you can shift your thoughts to the bright future that awaits.