Don’t Yell At Your Customers

You’d think that it wouldn’t need mentioning, but never yell at your customers. Now, I’m not a believer in the idea that the customer is always right but belittling them doesn’t solve anything.

A Tai Chi teacher had a few new students in her class one day who were very interested in learning but had no previous experience. You’d think someone who taught a class based in mindfulness would be encouraging and supportive, but not this teacher. The new students were obviously clueless as they had never done any of the moves before, but the teacher had no patience for it. She yelled across the room, singling out the new students, telling them that they were doing it wrong without giving instructions for how to correctly perform the movements. She mocked them even though they were trying their best. Insulting someone who is making an effort is not a way to win friends, influence people, or have them return to your class. 

Customers may not always be right, but if they are trying, help them to succeed instead of running them out the door.