Rage Against the Machine
If you're watching the current season of Top Chef—a reality show on the Bravo network—you'll be familiar with Lisa, a contestant who appears to exist in a constant state of seething anger. (We'll allow that editing can shape a "character," but producers can only work with the material someone gives them.) She doesn't get angry; she is angry.
In a blog post, Seth Godin says dealing with customers like Lisa isn't the same as dealing with a well-adjusted person who's having a bad day. "Angry people are different from other people," he writes. "They are not just an inch or two along some curve. Instead, there's a gap in the curve, a vertical chasm, separating the angry from everyone else."
How to deal with an angry customer? Godin sees two basic options:
Avoid them. If it's within your power to move on, by all means do so. "There are plenty of non-angry people out there," he says.
Face them head-on. Just remember that you're not going to get anywhere until you've figured out how to diffuse their anger.
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