Why Don’t You Like Me? What to Do When Your Customer Hates Your Middleman

Recently, we were introduced to a new client via a reseller. The client is great (of course!) and loves our software. There’s only one problem: the new client doesn’t like the reseller, and approached us hoping to address the situation. This puts us in an awkward spot. We don’t want to annoy the client by refusing to cooperate with their query, but we don’t want to possibly burn a bridge with that reseller, either. Especially when they’re sending us great new clients.

Here’s the thing: every industry has a middleman. So what happens when a customer doesn’t like yours? Affiliate and referral relationships with other professionals are simply a part of how business is done.

Take this example. A design agency might have referral relationships with coders, developers, or copywriters. In this case, what do you do when a client that Copywriter A referred to you approaches you and says, “Listen, we love your services, but this copywriter kind of sucks–any suggestions for someone better?”.

You’ve essentially got three options:

1. You can be honest with the customer, and tell them that while you can appreciate their situation, you also have an existing professional relationship with the other party and you can’t go against that relationship in good faith.

In most cases this is your best option. If you engage in a negative conversation about a trusted partner in front of the client just to save face, it sets a bad precedent and could affect the clients’ trust. After all, if you’re willing to talk about a colleague in that manner, what’s going to keep you from talking about existing clients that way as well? Don’t shelve your integrity, it will be worth it for your business in the long run.

2. Sever the professional relationship with the middleman. This is a little more drastic and isn’t something to be done lightly, but might be worth thinking about if you’ve had multiple complaints about one person. Or, for example, if the client’s complaint isn’t a minor quibble, but about straight-up inappropriate behavior. In this situation, it’s important to be timely. First, address the situation directly with the middleman as frankly and as soon as possible by saying, “Look, this situation is less than ideal and now it’s impacting my relationship with this client. I’ve decided that the best option is for us to go our separate ways. I certainly wish you all the best.”

Customer service is absolutely paramount and with that, you need to think about whether you want your company to be associated with bad customer service or for the actual product you provide. You might take a hit in your client referrals, and that won’t be fun, but you’re more likely to retain customers longer when they associate your business with high-touch service and a solid product. It’s the better option between letting your brand be damaged by associating with substandard businesses or moving forward minus one reseller.

3. Let it fizzle out. If option number two sounds a little drastic and you’re not ready to completely burn bridges, then maybe it’s time to tell the reseller that you’re booked up for the foreseeable future and that you no longer require their referrals. They’ll stop referring people to you, you’ll stop feeling obligated to send people their way, and the awkward situation will cease to exist. (At least with that person, there’s no guarantee you’ll never have to deal with it again!)

Having a strong network of referral relationships is great and it can grow your business by leaps and bounds, but it does come with the need to navigate some potentially thorny situations. If you simply remember to maintain tact and keep open communication on the performance requirements your company wants by being honest on all levels, you’ll come out the other side with you and your businesses reputation intact.

Have you experienced a similar situation? How did you handle it?

About the Author: Curt Finch is the CEO of Journyx. Journyx strives to be relentlessly creative and to build tools that help you spend your time on things that matter. After all, time is all we have. Founded in 1996, Journyx offers customers two solutions to reach the highest levels of profitability: Journyx – project, time and expense tracking software – and Journyx PX – resource management software that provides work and financial forecasting for a complete picture of project and budget status, employee time and availability. Connect with Curt on Google+.

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