Everyone and their mother seems to have customer service tips now-​a-​days. “You should be this type of person,” “do this,” “don’t do that.” There isn’t a shortage of people telling you what kind of salesperson you should be. But, with the help of Justin Herald and his article, “4 Customer Service Styles that Need to Go,” here are some types of salespeople that are bound to be unsuccessful service givers.

The Fair-​Weather Professional

Anyone can give good customer service when everything is going smoothly. It’s when problems arise that the quality of your service really shines through. Or flickers out. You need to continuously be preparing for any bumps in the road that may arise. Dependable salespeople are readily available to service their clients through thick and thin. Are you prepared to help your clients when they need you the most?

The Apathetic

Contrary to popular belief, your clients are not reaching out to you just to make your job more difficult. Nor should they only be considered a way for you to make money. Your clients are humans, and, just like you, they deserve and prefer to be treated as such. Clients will notice if emotion is absent from your customer service. Luckily, this is an easy fix. Converse with your clients, send them individually written emails, thank them for their business, apologize and empathize when things go wrong. Appealing to your client’s humanity is the first step to establishing a healthy business relationship

The NPC

NPCs (non-​player characters) are an obnoxious part of video games. They are stationary beings who repeat the same few lines over and over again no matter how many times you or anyone else approaches them. Don’t be that way to your customers. Each of your clients is an individual with specific needs and if your customer service isn’t tailored to each of them, they’ll soon get annoyed with your vague service. Join the game. Give more personalized service or your clients will move on to someone who doesn’t come off so robotic.