Whether you work one-to-one or deal with customers in groups, you identify a target market of customers most likely to value what you can offer. You develop processes that work best with those clients. You learn to anticipate their responses and help them feel pampered. Ideally, you recruit new customers who fit your target customer profile, but sometimes you attract a customer who doesn't belong. These customer misfits can drain your energy, alienate other customers and fail to recognize
value you provide through your service.
A lesson from Tony Soprano
For an extreme example of what happens when you accept a "different" type of client, watch a few episodes of The Sopranos, an HBO mega-hit. You can rent videotapes of first two seasons.
Almost every episode includes scenes between mob boss Tony Soprano and his psychiatrist, Janet Melfi. These scenes are so realistic that professional psychotherapy associations have included them in training programs.
From a customer service perspective, psychiatrist seems overwhelmed by her notorious client. She can't resist hinting at his identity during a dinner party. And Tony in turn is dangerous to his therapist. His curiosity about her background goes well beyond average client's harmless fantasy, as he orders a wayward cop to follow her around for a few days. Tony means well. When therapist's car breaks down, her patient simply "borrows" car and arranges for a repair at one of "family" garages. He brushes away therapist's concern about boundaries.
