How to Complain Effectively
You probably know someone who is always complaining about something. While none of us want to be that person, there are circumstances in which registering a complaint can be the catalyst for a positive change. The key is to complain productively instead of venting. It can feel good to blow off steam now and then, and experts agree it is not good for your mental health to bottle up negative thoughts. But dwelling on negativity without working toward a resolution to address the problem does not improve matters. After you vent your initial irritation, the next step is discussing your complaint with the person (or company/ entity/customer support rep!) who can help address the problem. Here are the four elements of effective complaining. • Think beyond the roadblock. Whatever the issue is, try to look beyond to the result you want to see. This can help you articulate helpful specifics rather than simply venting frustrations. The latter tends to escalate arguments or make people shut down. For instance, talk to a customer service rep about the results you want from them, and less about the problem you are facing with the company’s website. • Complain constructively. This means not only identifying problems but also offering potential solutions. The focus should be on the outcome you seek, not just the impediments to the goal. When you have thought beyond the roadblock, you can more easily visualize the path or steps to reach your desired outcome.
take the time to make a list of your requests, the reasons, what your issue is, and a list of possible solutions. If you can be clear and calm, you are more likely to get what you want. • Avoid personal attacks. You need the person you are talking with to help fix the problem, so it is important to address only the behavior at issue and not the person’s character. Calling a person names will get you nowhere. Instead, focus on the solution, and chances are you will get the situation resolved.
• Choose your timing wisely. Pick a time that works for you and the person you need to talk with. Don’t ambush them, and don’t
... continued from Cover complain while you are upset. You probably already know you shouldn’t send an email while you are angry, which is also true of discussing a complaint while you are in the heat of the moment. Don’t call a company while you are still seeing red, either; instead,
–Terry Monroe
the stores with you, then you have basically bought yourself a job, which is a good thing, and you can control your costs and make a good living.
of convenience stores while the market value of stores is still very strong, or am I going to be one of those who thought about stepping away and waited until the values of convenience stores cycled down into lower market values wished I had sold sooner?” To find out what your convenience stores are worth in today’s market, all it takes is an email to me at Terry@TerryMonroe.com , and with three pieces of information, I can confidentially share with you what your convenience stores would be worth in today’s market. I hope to hear from you soon before the market values cycle down, and we are all older, or worse yet, part of the declining baby boomer generation.
But if you are a family-owned business and have five, 25, or 45 stores, you will be squeezed by the larger convenience store chains when they start to move into your territory and build down the street, taking a large portion of your business. To make matters worse, you are a baby boomer, and you are running out of time to recapture the business. Anybody who has ever met me or listened to me speak at a convention or conference knows I am a positive person, but I am also a realist. Based on the demographics and the trends happening with businesses of all kinds, the outcome going forward says the consolidation will continue for at least the next 10 years. The only question you have to ask yourself is, “Am I going to be one of those who takes advantage of the consolidation
–Terry Monroe
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