Choose customers.
お客様を選ぼう。
Some people become very selfish and demanding when they think they are customers. It happens quite often here in Japan (and that’s why a level of customer service is quite high in Japan), but can happen more or less anywhere on this planet.
Those people believe that they can always get what they want. A special service. A huge discount. A free gift. ANYTHING they want. If they can’t get any of them, they feel insulted and get mad at the business. “Your business is very bad! You don’t respect customers! If you do respect your customers, just do what I told you!”
If our business has many customers like them, we will fail in that business sooner or later. We can have some sales, but our profit will plummet because of the additional costs arising from those customers. In fact, if we still have a profit, we’re lucky: many businesses, especially in a business-to-business industry, lose their money because of demanding customers.
There are signs of demanding customers. I don’t list them, but you already know most of them if you’re running your own business.
When we see those signs, all we need to do is say NO to them in a very polite way. That’s the only way to protect our business and our good customers. We will lose some sales for sure, but we are our business; If we choose to be exhausted by demanding customers and not to devote ourselves to our good customers, that’s a serious betrayal to the good customers.
If you say no, demanding customers would yell at you or make sarcastic remarks. Or intimidate you. But that’s okay. That’s their problem, not a problem of you or your business. Stand firm, and protect your good customers.