3 Tips for Overcoming Frustration
Why did you sign up to be an online entrepreneur?
I mean, besides the thousands of adoring fans, millions of dollars, and dream vacations in sunny places?
Okay, I’m kidding. But seriously, take a couple of moments and think about why you began this crazy adventure in the first place. Then set your answer aside, because we’ll revisit it in a moment.
The inspiration for this post came from a recent conversation with a friend who works as a nurse. You can imagine what a stressful job that is these days. She talked about a supervisor who consistently tells staff:
“Don’t hate the patients.”
Seems obvious, right? A nurse that hates patients is in the wrong profession. But that simplification ignores the wisdom that familiarity breeds contempt.
When a nurse deals with the same people daily, with the same difficulties, it becomes easier to grow frustrated with them.
Few who visit the hospital enjoy it (except perhaps for some in the birth ward). Sometimes people come in for trivial problems, or because they made a stupid decision. Others cause problems when they arrive, or resist treatment.
If you’re a nurse, how could you not develop a bad attitude after a while?
That’s why nurses need positive voices in their lives, reminding them not to hate the patient. After all, they got into the gig to help the patient.
Speaking of friends, here’s a guest blog from another friend of mine, all about building influence during the early stages of your business.
How “Don’t Hate The Patient” Applies To Online Business
Even though we have it easier than nurses, we sometimes serve difficult people. And we also serve wonderful people who make things difficult sometimes.
It’s just as easy for us to get frustrated with our clients as it is for nurses to lose patience with their patients (pun intended).
I’ve seen many big-name marketers (even self-professed “gurus”) take out their frustration on clients, and give them terrible customer service.
Maybe you’ve done the same in the past few months, or at least you’ve felt tempted to do it. So let me be the positive voice saying:
“Don’t hate the client.”
Take a look at your answer to why you got into this business in the first place. Some common answers are:
- To make money
- To have freedom over your vacation and work schedule
- To spend more time with your family
- To do something you’re passionate about for a change
- To help people or serve others
My personal answer is a combination of all six. However, serving is the most important part, because the rest flows from it.
If you cannot consistently deliver excellent service, you won’t make money. You won’t help others. And you won’t have freedom for long, because you’ll have to go back to a “normal” job in order to pay the bills.
It’s important to remind ourselves of the basics. Here is a FREE guide of four basic principles you need to kickstart your next big success.
3 Tips For Overcoming Frustration With Clients
Frustration is completely normal. It’s tough to go a week without at least one person pushing your buttons. Take these pointers so that you can respond in a productive way, instead of turning sour and hating the client.
- Put your “Why” on the Wall
All the personal benefits you want from the entrepreneurial lifestyle flow from your ability to serve others. So at the core, your “why” should be to serve as well as you possibly can. You want to make people happy, help them get by, and see them thrive.
So, write down a reminder to serve people, and put it where you can see it every day. We humans are a forgetful bunch. We need to be reminded of the most important things. You have to swim upstream by constantly remembering your core motivation.
- Make the Most Generous Assumption
We have a built-in bias that assumes the worst about people when they mess up. Our gut feeling is they’re either doing it on purpose, or they are extremely ignorant. We rarely stop to wonder if they feel confused and scared like we do sometimes, or if they’re just having a bad day.
It’s important to make the most generous assumptions about others, especially when they do something that irritates you.
Think, “If I did the same thing they just did, how would I like others to respond to me?” And respond that way. If your default answer is “act on my frustration,” then you won’t last very long in the world of entrepreneurship.
Relationships mean absolutely everything. Do everything you can to nurture them.
- Find a Safe Venting Space, and Then Move On
We all need a safe place to air our grievances. Someone who we can call or message to explain the situation from our perspective. Preferably somebody without a personal interest in the outcome.
If you’re wondering what your venting space could be, let me give you a hint: it’s not your blog, podcast, or Facebook groups. When I hear a big-name marketer whining about clients “on-air,” I immediately know I don’t want to do business with them. Nor will I send anybody else their way.
Find a friend or two who doesn’t work closely with you, or your spouse, and talk through things with them. And remember, don’t take the problem out on them.
Finally, move on. The only person that gets hurt when you hold onto your frustration is you.
Remember, don’t hate the client. You got into this business to serve them. When you remember your “why,” make generous assumptions, and vent to a trusted friend, you can get back to helping others.
For more secrets to building an amazing online business, check out my podcast!
