This article features a thought-provoking story I read in an ezine I subscribe to published by my good friend, Azriela Jaffe. Although edited for space, it's a great primer on Winning Without Intimidation - both from the viewpoint of the irrational customer and the tactful business owner. It's a real credit to Azriela that not only is she open to learning such a valuable lesson, but humble enough to share this embarrassing story with all her readers and friends.

Enjoy Azriela's article:

Diffusing an Irrational Customer . . . Me!
by Azriela Jaffe, Copyright 2000

Ten minutes ago, I stopped laughing from one of the funniest and most embarrassing moments of my life. Tonight, I was an irrational customer. Luckily, I ran across a business owner who knew how to deal with me. Let me tell you what he did right, and how off-base I was.

In preparation for our planned move, we agreed to a home inspection ordered by the buyers for our home. A nice fellow, Troy L. Rudy, with "Allied Home Inspections, Inc." out of Lancaster and York, Pennsylvania, showed up. We also agreed to a radon test which he set up in our basement. He would return in 48 hours to pick up the test.

Shortly after Troy departed, a horrendous sound started emitting from my bedroom. It sounded like a large animal in heat, or in a lot of pain. The sound was intermittent, going off at about ten minute intervals. I was stunned the first time I heard it, and then, as the hours passed, I became increasingly angry.

"That's got to be that radon test he put in our basement," I assumed. "It must be emitting this sound from the basement. Why didn't that home inspector warn us that for 48 hours we'd have trouble sleeping? Why did he have to position the test in such a place in the house that the noise echoed throughout the bedroom?"

The noise was torture. I lay in the bed trying to watch TV and mostly listening for the sound to start again. My discomfort turned to anger. After about eight hours, my anger was becoming rage. I was ready to throw the radon test out the window, even if it jeopardized the sale of our home.

Finally, in a moment of exasperation, I phoned Troy and left a message on his home answering machine. It was now way after hours, but I didn't care. He could come back at 9 PM for all I cared and move his doggone radon machine out of ear shot of my bedroom.

Troy called back in about a half-hour. He asked me to describe the sound. I tried to imitate an elephant in heat. He insisted that the radon test is silent, so that wasn't the culprit.

Great, now I'm talking to the home inspector for the buyers of my home about a large, intense noise going off in my house on a regular basis. Not what I had in mind.

Troy could have ended the call right there, telling me that I was barking up the wrong tree and to leave him alone. He could have acted defensive and read me the riot act for assuming that he'd done anything wrong. I explained to him that my husband was out of town on business and I was quite helpless about these kinds of matters. I apologized for falsely accusing him.

Then, with me on a portable phone, we walked all around the house with him talking me through endless possibilities as we played Sherlock Holmes, tracing down the source of this horrendous sound.

I felt like a complete moron when I discovered the culprit. Unknown to me, my husband had left his pager at home. I was surprised to find it on his bureau.

Someone had tried to reach him only a few moments after the home inspector had left. And, because it was leaning up against a piece of wood, the end result was this intense sound I had been hearing all day.

I was almost too embarrassed to tell Troy what I'd discovered, but came clean with him and begged his forgiveness. Troy was good-natured about it. He told me that it happens to him all the time. As soon as something goes wrong in a house, if he was there within the previous 24 hours, fingers point at him. He lets it roll off his back. Instead of arguing, he responds helpfully. He knows that if he assists the customer to get to the root of the problem, he'll be exonerated.

Thanks Troy for demonstrating superior customer service in action. Sometimes, customers like me act like fools. I appreciate that you didn't make the experience any more embarrassing by rubbing it in.

If a customer attacks you for something that couldn't possibly be true about you, your tendency will be to fight back. If you can pause and respond with the desire to be helpful, instead of proving that your customer is a moron, you'll earn some serious customer service brownie points.

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Azriela Jaffe is the founder of "Anchored Dreams" (http://www.isquare.com/crlink.htm), and author of eight books including "Starting from No, Ten Strategies to Overcome Your Fear of Rejection and Succeed in Business" and "Honey, I Want to Start my Own Business, A Planning Guide for Couples." (Http://www.amazon.com)

(Note from Bob: Azriela also taught us that, regardless of the situation, it's always best to judge favorably and give others the benefit of the doubt. Do that when you're beginning to feel as though you're about to attack the person you are sure is wrong, and you'll save yourself from some very embarrassing situations.)

Bob Burg http:www.burg.com is author of Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales, Winning Without Intimidation and The Success Formula.

He has a full line of books, ebooks and CDs from which everyone can grow and prosper. Check them out by going to http:www.burg.com , then click on the link to his online store. Bob also publishes a free weekly ezine to which you can subscribe going to http://www.burg.com/newsletter.html.