Service businesses can be tough. Clients put unreasonable demands on you, call you at the darnedest times, and never seem to see all the little ways in which you have gone out of your way to ensure the project’s success. Yet somehow, you persevere, because when you do, the rewards are fantastic.

All of that notwithstanding, there are some very easy ways that you can unnecessarily complicate your relationship with your clients.. or lose them altogether. If you’ve ever considered how to self-destruct in the world of client service, here are eleven proven winners to get you started:

1. “Let me try to explain this to you… It really isn’t that complicated.“

2. ”I know you’ve got a problem, but I’ve got other work that takes precedence. I’ll try to get to your stuff next week.“

3. ”I understand you’re upset because we screwed up, but what do you expect me to do about it?“

4. ”Yes, my name was on the report, but one of my subordinates really put most of it together and, honestly, I don’t know how much more you should expect from him, he’s not that strong.“

5. ”Sorry, but I don’t work for you. Submit a change request to my boss and when he tells me to do it, I’ll do it.“

6. ”It’s not in the contract, so the answer is no. End of discussion. Hey, I said, ‘End of discussion,’ didn’t you hear me?“

7. ”Good question. This is my very first time running anything like this, so I’ll be darned if I know.“

8. ”Actually, I spotted that cost overrun three weeks ago, but I didn’t tell you about it because it didn’t seem important.“

9. ”This could be the most boring project I’ve ever done. Do you have someplace I can lay down and take a nap for a little bit?“

10. ”My liaison… Is he the boss’ nephew or something? ‘Cuz he’s an idiot. I can’t figure out how he ended up in charge.“

11. ”I heard you, I just don’t care.“

Ouch.

Posted under Job Interviews, Self-Development, Personal