7 Things You Should Never Say at Work

4. “That’s a dumb idea,” to a client

Especially if your job involves talking directly with clients, you should be extra careful with what comes out of your mouth. If you think your client has a wrong perspective or is about to make a mistake, you can suggest that to them, but don’t be too aggressive with your opinion.

“I coach people on how to do customer service training with clients,” says Dr. Dattner. “You’ve heard the ‘Our customer is always right’ approach. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t gently push back if you think they’re making the wrong decisions or seeing things in the wrong way,” he says.

“You certainly shouldn’t say anything to make them feel like you don’t respect them, or that you think they’re making mistakes, or that you don’t respect their capabilities or anything like that,” says Dr. Dattner.

Ask kindly if they want to hear your suggestion and if they do, tell them what you think it’ll solve their problem.