When running a daycare you are definitely going to handle parents over and over again. But how to approach them the best way? Basically parents should be considered customers just like your daycare should be considered a business!
Parent management issues are more common than you think.
We often do not know if our parents are satisfied with our services or not, and it will certainly not be the parents themselves who will talk about it. Also keep in mind that relational problems result in missed future purchases, negative word of mouth to other potential parents and in general therefore few sales and little business development.
Therefore, using some precautions "upstream" of the relationship, and of the onset of conflicts and divergences, is important to maintain good relationships.
Let's see together the four tricks we have identified to relate to parents:
1. Listen to your parents
It seems obvious but it is very important for you to really listen to her demands, and understand what is negotiable and what is not. What your client asks of you, what they come to you for is not negotiable.
It must come out of the meeting with you, whether it is a cognitive session or a consultation for a tailor-made service or product, with the feeling of having been listened to and understood and that you are going in the same direction.
Don't interrupt him while he makes his request, don't think you already know what he's asking you and what interests him. Listen carefully first, then move on to step two.
2. Ask questions
Asking, I will never stop saying it in my consulting sessions, is essential to better understand the other person's point of view and to be a little more certain that you understand well. You will not make the figure of the incompetent, but instead you will show interest and active listening towards your parent. To interact with parents, deepening the request by asking for information is essential and you can use the questions to your advantage. Measure the closed questions (those in which there are few possibilities of answer such as yes / no or tomorrow / Friday) and increase your open questions (those in which you will ask his point of view and deepen) and you will have more details to be able to understand the world of the other.
Ask and it will be given to you, ask and it will be clear to you.
If you assume you understand and want to lead your client in your direction "because I know more about him and I know how to do it", your relationship will most likely end in a hazy point and you could lead to a conflict.
3. Follow him in the direction he wants to go
After asking questions, remember to rephrase what you understand to make sure everything is clear and understood. And follow it. Your task as a professional is to guide him, adjust his aim, advise him on the methods, times and organization of the work together, but not upset what he asks of you.
If you force him to change direction, if you agree on the relationship and then change the cards on the table (as often happens) he will be hurt and rightly so.
You are there for him, for what he asks of you. Help him, guide him, support him but he chooses where he wants to go. If it is in your competence and you want to undertake this professional path with him, you help him, otherwise you kindly tell him that you do not take care of it as he would like and advise someone else.
4. Don't fool your parent and be honest
If you understand that you can follow him and do what he asked of you, always be fair to him. Stop where you do not feel like continuing, do not force him to buy something else: the interest in continuing the relationship must come above all from him, and if you are the one to propose something, know that you must do it in a sincere way.
