How to stay cool in the face of an angry customer

Being curious can help you get more control over your reactions to difficult situations. When you train yourself to react with curiosity first, the following reaction is lessened and easier to navigate. 

As a business owner, the ability to chose your reactions and control your emotions is critical to building trust and relationships with your customers and your team. Choosing to be curious first creates a more effective reaction that is targeted towards the outcomes you want to achieve. 

For example, when a customer is angry about a problem they experienced with your service. One possible reaction is to be angry about this, to feel frustrated and insulted that the customer didn't get what you were trying to do. 

OR you can stop and grab your curiosity out of your toolbox and check what else might be happening. Maybe the customer didn't read that email you sent very carefully, and maybe it's because they are so busy and stressed themselves. You could ask them some questions to help you understand their point of view or you could simply ask them to yourself to lessen the severity of your reaction. 

You can also use this technique to ensure you react with patience and understanding to issues with your team. 

How could being curious have changed an outcome for you? Do you make assumptions when you should be asking questions?

Let me know how you go with this concept and how you applied it in your own life and business.