How to Deal with Unhappy Clients
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It doesnât matter how awesome you are. It doesnât matter how amazing your work. It doesnât matter if you delivered on time and under budget. There is one reality that will never die: Some clients just arenât happy.
So how do you deal with them? In many cases, changing a clientâs disposition isnât as simple as delivering higher quality work.
As project managers, weâre experienced in projects. If the situation calls for faster work, streamlined operations, a solid communication plan, or a smaller budget, then fine, we can handle that. Itâs far more difficult to deal with the emotional, personal, and human-touch side of things.
The good news is, these key phrases that can help you change things with clients for the better.
Will you turn every Grinch client into a Pollyanna? No. But can you foster more goodwill, encourage longer-term clients, and maybe even cultivate a better approach towards business? I think so.
Say nothing. Just listen.
One of the most important things to say is nothing at all. Listening to the clientâs complaints is powerfully therapeutic for the client.
I have seen this technique work like magic. I recall one conversation with a client who was angry with us. He was threatening legal action and Better Business Bureau complaints.
I knew he had a laundry list of complaints, so I was determined to hear him out. When he finished venting about one issue, I asked him, âAnything else?â More venting. âIs there anything else?â Venting. âAnything else?â Yet more venting.
After about 30 minutes of this, he was vented out. The catharsis of getting it all off his chest was just what he needed, apparently. After it was all spent, he was really easy to get along with. The conversation went beautifully.
I think he just needed to let loose. Listening to his tirade wasnât comfortable, but once he finished, we got along great.
I would suggest the What else? or Anything else? strategy if you have an irate client with a list of concerns. Make sure you listen intentionally and genuinely.
Repeat your clientâs concerns.
This tactic is equally easy. You donât have to come up with any gleaming insight or brilliant observation. All you need to do is repeat what they just told you.
It goes something like this:
Client:
I cannot stand it when I try to communicate with you! Every single time I place a call to your business someone says, âI donât know. Weâll have to get back with you!â Seriously?! I mean come on, where am I even supposed to get a straight answer? Look, we are paying you guys! Weâre giving you guys money for your expertise, and you just sit around saying, âSorry. Weâll have to get back with you!â Iâll tell you what. I want something back, too! I want my money! If this is the kind of disservice I get, then Iâm taking my business elsewhere!â
You:
I see. So what youâre explaining is that youâre experiencing a lack of responsiveness from us? You have questions. And instead of answering your questions, we tell you that weâll get back with you? Is that the situation?
See what happened there? You're getting grilled. Rather than apologize all over yourself, however, you simply repeat the clientâs concerns back to him.
Now, the client has the opportunity to confirm, deny, elucidate, or otherwise respond to hearing his own concerns.
If youâre familiar with counseling or therapy techniques, you may recognize this as mirroring.
How mirroring helps ease a tough client conversation
If you mirror the other personâs language, actions, or emotions, a couple things will happen:
- The client will be able to see their actions objectively. For example, in the client rant I described above, the client may begin to remember you actually did get back with them and answer their questions. Or, maybe they recall that they only placed 2 phone calls, and that only happened once.
- You will be able to empathize with the clientâs concernsâa crucial component of effective client dialogue.
Mirroring isnât just some psychotherapy trick. Itâs a deeply rooted part of how humans are intended to interact. You probably engage in some level of mirroring every time you interact with peopleâcolleagues, clients, or even your spouse.
We subconsciously reflect the body language and emotions of those around us. Our minds and bodies are equipped with mirror neurons that make this kind of action and attitude possible.
Giving space for this mirroring process in client interactions is an incredible and science-backed method of softening the situation and maybe even reversing it.
Ask clarifying questions.
When we react with antagonism towards a clientâs frustration, the situation can completely spiral out of control.
But learning to ask questions can improve the situation dramatically. Some of my most tense moments with clients have been resolved with the careful use of questions.
For example, in one case, a client was hurling complaints and venting frustration with an alarming degree of force and profanity. My internal response was, Whoa! Take a chill pill, man!
Instead, I asked questions. âWhen did this happen? And how did you notice it? Can you show me the screenshot in Google Analytics?â (In that particular situation, I realized that the clientâs problem was not something we caused. Instead, we identified the problem and actually used it to create more business with the client.)
Examples of questions to ask your unhappy client
What kinds of things should you be asking? You want to get specifics. This isnât the time to go all counselor and ask, âHow do you really feel?â
Instead, ask questions like these:
- Who did you speak with about this?
- When did you talk with her?
- How many days overdue was the project?
- Where is the report?
Your goal in asking questions is to find out exactly whatâs going on.
Asking questions helps you look past the smokescreen of the clientâs emotional eruption and identify what the problem truly is.
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âLetâs get on the phone and talk about this.â
If a client is unhappy on email, then your goal is to get them on the phone.
I can recall many times where a potentially explosive email thread was dissolved with a 15-minute phone call.
With email, itâs all too easy for any nuance to get lost in translation. You can spend a lot of time drafting a response to ensure you strike just the right toneâand even then thereâs no guarantee the person on the other end of the email will get a good read on your intention.
When an unhappy client is in the picture, a phone call beats an email every time.
âI agree with you.â
Agreement is one of the first steps towards mediation. If there is zero agreement between you and your client, something or someone is going to break. If you look for it, youâll be able to find some level of agreement.Â
Responding to a client's unhappiness with disagreement forces them to grow even more entrenched in resistance, anger, and opposition.
Every agreement you make is a concession to their point of view and, therefore, a smart way to get them to calm down.
11 ways to say you agree with your client
Thereâs no need to be disingenuous about this. Thereâs always something you can agree on. Keep it positive, and give these variations a try:
- I agree with your concerns.
- I agree with the way you feel about this.
- I completely agree there was a delay in the communication.
- Yes, I agree with that explanation of the meeting.
- I totally agree with those dates and times you just mentioned.
- You are right.
- I completely understand.
- Yes, thatâs totally fair.
- Excellent point.
- Yes. I can see that.
- You explained the situation very clearly.
âWeâre having trouble communicating.â
Sometimes, a client is so irrational and irate that communicating with them is futile. What do you do then?
I recommend transparently admitting the problem: âWeâre having a problem with our communication.â The âweâ is important because saying âyouâ would be the verbal equivalent of pointing an index finger in your clientâs face.
This phrase is a signal to the client that something needs to change in the way he or she is expressing her frustration.
Either he will soften up and communicate civilly, or you can say farewell.
âWe think it would be better for both of us to discontinue this arrangement.â
This is the end.
Communication matters when it comes to project success. Research shows that half of unsuccessful projects fail because of ineffective communication.

If your project is going off the rails because a client is upset, donât blame yourself. You can take control of the situation by terminating it.
Wasting emotional energy, time, and resources on a project thatâs not benefiting your organization or the client is a lose-lose for everyone. End the relationship, and salvage your business.
You can turn a clientâs frown upside down
There are no magic phrases that will make unhappinessâPOOF!âdisappear. The world doesnât work that way.
Itâs really not about phrases. Itâs about the personal integrity and character that back those phrases up.
Becoming an effective project manager requires navigating through the turmoil of a clientâs bad day or cantankerous approach to life. It's crucial that you learn how to resolve project issues to make them happy and avoid stress.Â
When you think about it on a below-the-surface level, that client may just be having a really hard time. Maybe that client is not lashing out at you personally as much as they are responding to the hurt and anger they feel in general.
Hey, if you can have a professional conversation that goes below the surface, Iâm sure it will be incredibly profitable. And not just in a business sense.
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