You’ll inevitably have to deal with frustrated clients at some point in your transactions or relationships. "Stuff" happens.

Don’t panic. These situations are never as bad as the coffee breath that comes out of your manager’s mouth. These situations present opportunities to create deeper understanding and relationships.

When you feel frustrated – or even seething – regarding a service issue or some part of a transaction, what do you want?

You want to know someone’s on it and moving fast to fix it. But mostly, you want to be heard.

So the next time you are in a situation where one of your clients is seething, try opening with this line: "I know you are frustrated, and you have a right to be…tell me about it. What’s going on?"

And then. SILENCE.

Let them talk for as long as they want…the longer they talk, the more they’ll calm down and open the door for you to make it go away.

It will be hard not to say anything, but wait until you know the customer is finished. Like a baby crying itself to sleep, your buyer will calm down and feel heard. Good. The repair work can then begin.