Attending sales training courses I will often hear how great life would be without customers! All field sales people have at least one particularly difficult customer to do battle with.

In today's competitive climate, however, only a few companies can really afford simply to avoid problem cases.

Do not worry it you do not belong to these lucky few, below are some tips for you and your sales people about dealing correctly with the eight most important problem types:

The moving target

This customer is hyperactive and constantly busy. They travel a great deal, particularly at times when crucial decisions have to be made. They prefer oral communication because they do not like to tie themselves down.

Handling: Send confirmation copies of all agreements with the 'moving target' in writing, in particular maintain all contracts with exact conditions. In case your customer is not personally obtainable, inform one of their employees or their deputy.

The lord of the manor

They block you from all the important decision makers in the customer business. All information should go via their desk as far as possible. The Lord of the Manor is driven by the fear that they could be passed over or even shut out.

Handling: Never try to maneuver yourself past a Lord of the Manor. You will not survive this.  Instead you need to win this customer's trust by informing them in detail and feeding them with as many facts as possible. Try to mobilise the Lord of the Manor for joint meetings with the people who are important to you in the customer business.

The person who can do everything

This customer would just prefer to do your work as well since they are able to do simply everything. For every problem they have a tried and tested solution and are mortally insulted if you have a differing opinion. The person who can do everything suffers a great deal from never heard of it syndrome.

Handing: Always listen attentively to the person who can do everything. The worst thing you can do to them is to ignore them. Try to integrate their ideas into your solution. Make clear in front of their colleagues how good you think their ideas are and how you have built them into the 'tailor made solution'.

The hoarder of secrets

This customer furnishes you only very sparingly with information. They make you feel that you 'really ought to know everything yourself'. They doubt that you can do anything and put no trust in you at all.

Handling: Say quite clearly and openly to the hoarder of secrets what information you lack to put together a reasonable offer. Ask 'stupid questions' for as long as you need to until you know everything you want to know. In this duel the words 'Knowledge is power' count! Bring the hoarder of secrets to the point of openly acknowledging your competence: "We want to recommend the same product to you for the next contract as we did back then with ... You were very satisfied then were you not?"

The perfectionist

The perfectionists are often talked about on sales training courses. They want to optimise everything to the finest detail and partly for that reason they are the source of enormous costs. By sinking their teeth into unimportant details the perfectionist loses sight of the larger strategic goal.

Handling: Give this customer a great deal of time to be able to evaluate your offer.  In case a quick decision is required tell them the last possible date as soon as possible. Make it clear that changes always cost more money the later they are undertaken.

The devil's advocate

They have something to say to everything and find at least one weak point with the best of ideas. If they find nothing technical they like to branch out into legal considerations

- does the idea injure the rights of third parties, like for example, those of competitors, retailers, customers or consumers? Or does it perhaps breach environmental legislation...?

Handling: The devil's advocate will hang themselves if you give them enough rope.  "Why should we take account of your opinion, ask them until they are blue in the face? How does this aspect play such an important role for us?"  The more detailed the answer your opponent gives the more they give themselves over to looking ridiculous.

The controller

They settle the agenda for every meeting and always sit at the head of the table.  They determine the form in which you have to submit your offer and how it must be set out.

The Controller settles the steps for evaluating the tenders, delegates the responsibilities and sets deadlines.

Handling: Try not to cross the Controller's plans if you have the feeling that they are against you. Prepare your own little agenda and a technically perfect presentation with charts, forms etc. If the Controller is on your side keep exactly to their rules of the game.

The pressuriser

They do not want to decide anything and call a meeting on every tiny pretext. They discuss their decisions with everyone whether or not they are interested. The pressuriser will always want to be "out of harm's way&#8221.

Handling: It is a waste of time to present them with an offer on your own.  Instead ask them straight away to invite their colleagues along. Present several alternatives for choice if possible, covering the product spectrum from the risk enjoying modern view to the conservative safe view.  What do you suppose they are going to buy?

Applying these techniques to difficult customers will help maintain the ongoing relationship and they are covered on good sales training courses.

Author Richard Stone is a Director for Spearhead Training Limited that runs management and sales training courses that improve business performance. You can view more articles at => http://www.spearhead-training.co.uk