Best Ways To Rebuild Trust After A Dispute With A Client

Own. Your. Mistakes. I was recently reminded of a moment with a client who’d gotten themselves into a bit of a mess. They’d missed a delivery timeline for a MAJOR retailer and shipped a batch of products that were not up to par. The retailer’s response? “You’re done. We’re out.” Now, when you mess up with a big client, the last thing you want to do is point fingers. But that's exactly what my client did. They panicked. Got defensive. And started blaming everyone and everything but themselves. So as we worked to troubleshoot, I asked, “Did you apologize?” Nope. “Did you sit across the table and say, ‘You expect quality products, on time. We didn’t deliver. We’re sorry.’” Again... nope. We prepped hard for the next conversation. And this time, my client went in and OWNED their error. They started with a full mea culpa. Acknowledged the failure. And (this is key) immediately pivoted to how they were going to make it right. You know what happened next? The retailer listened. And my client kept the business. Sometimes, managing a mistake in an important situation is not about explaining. Or defending. Or pointing fingers. It’s about taking a deep breath, looking the other party in the eye, and saying, "We messed up. And here’s how we’ll make it right." It's not necessarily about being humble. It's about prioritizing your customer's experience. Validating THEIR moment, THEIR needs, THEIR let down. And then addressing it head on. Providing the pathway forward. Rebuilding the trust brick by brick. And you can't do that if you pretend you hit a grand slam when really, you fouled out. Apologize. Make it right. Create the path forward.

Want to de-escalate frustrated customers fast? In Customer Success, it’s easy to panic when a customer is upset — a bug, a missed email, a delay in onboarding. But there’s one phrase that has saved me more times than I can count: “𝘚𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 — 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺.” It’s simple, but powerful. Because when a customer is frustrated, they don’t just want apologies. They want certainty. They want to know someone owns it. The mistake many CSMs make is overpromising in the moment just to calm things down… and then falling short on the follow-through. That’s how you lose trust. Fast. Instead, here’s how to build it back: 𝟭. 𝗔𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 Let them know you're on it. Not just emotionally — tactically. 𝟮. 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 Tell them what exactly you’re going to do, by when, and what they should expect next. 𝟯. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 Even if you don’t have a resolution, commit to an update. That’s what gives them confidence you’re actually driving this. 𝟰. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 If you say you’ll follow up at 4pm — follow up at 4pm. Even a few minutes late erodes trust. Early is better. Note: Almost every time I send my follow up email exactly when I promised, the frustrated customer has responded with gratitude for my ownership and commitment to resolving their issue. This kind of discipline transforms tense situations into moments of loyalty. Because customers remember how you show up when things go wrong. Say what you’ll do. Do what you said. That’s how you turn a negative experience into a positive partnership. What steps do you take to build trust during an escalated customer issue? #customersuccess #playbooks

Had an interesting conversation last week with a founder who was ready to walk away from a client a few months ago. The issue? A massive misunderstanding on project scope that spiraled into a heated argument. Instead of calling it quits, he did something simple but worked- He called the client and started with, “I think we’re misaligned. Help me understand where things went off track.” No defensiveness. No excuses. Just a question. It defused the tension immediately. They laid out all the frustrations, and he just listened. Next question - “What does success look like from here?” That one shifted the conversation from blame to solution. They ended up not only saving the relationship but also closing a bigger deal with them the following month. It made me realize this: Most client conflicts aren’t about the actual problem. They’re about feeling unheard and misunderstood.. Similar to personal relationships outside of work. I’ve seen this happen and workout by doing the following- Acknowledge the frustration. Even if you disagree. Ask what success looks like. It shifts the focus from the past to the future. Make a commitment—and follow through. Even if it’s just a small step, action rebuilds trust. Conflicts are going to happen. But if you lean into them with curiosity instead of combativeness, you’ll not only solve the issue but also strengthen the relationship. What do you do when you're lost in the woods ? Start with one step.

Sometimes the best way to build trust… is to simply say, “I’m sorry.” I’ll never forget one of the toughest conversations I had early in my sales career. I had just inherited a major account — one that made up nearly 28% of my annual quota — and my first call with the stakeholder felt like walking into a fire. He tore into me. Not because of anything I did… but because of how neglected he felt by the previous reps and by the company. “We never hear from you. When things break, we’re on our own. It’s like you just assume we’ll never leave.” He was done. And I don’t blame him. I was brand new to the account. I could’ve said, “That wasn’t me.” Instead, I said: 👉 “You’re absolutely right. And I’m sorry.” 👉 “I know I’m new, but I represent this company now — and that means it’s on me to make this right.” No excuses. No blaming. Just accountability. That one moment became the foundation of a relationship that saved the account. We not only retained the business — we grew it... and Im still friends with the owner 10 years later! Here’s the lesson: You don’t need to be the one who caused the problem to take ownership of the solution. In sales — and in leadership — you’re going to inherit messy situations, damaged relationships, and people who’ve been burned. The fastest way to rebuild trust isn’t with a pitch. It’s with empathy, humility, and a willingness to take responsibility for the future. Own it. Apologize if needed. And then go above and beyond to show them things can be different with you. #sales #leadership #relationships #salesstrategy #salesmindset #trust #empathy #accountability #sellingwithintegrity