I overheard two guys from another office in our building this morning talking about not having enough product to deliver to their clients. One asked the other, “can’t we make an excuse for each of them for why they wont get their product?” And the other replied, “We can, but it just hasn’t been done yet.”While LatPro doesn’t have the manufacturing piece of the equation to worry about like these guys, every company faces challenges that come their way that can be put off by an excuse. If you really want your clients to respect you, instead of an excuse, let them know the truth as to why there have been delays or issues and how and when you plan to rectify the situation.
If a client calls and asks for pricing, for example, they should get a prompt reply back. I’ve been in the situation where they’ve called a few times because they didn’t feel like they got that return information soon enough. Yes, their sales rep may have been on vacation or the red light on the phone didn’t show a new message was in the phone inbox, and sometimes it really isn’t your fault or there are complicating factors. But an honest call back saying sorry for the delay and how can I help you now usually does the trick, and clients are thankful for the attention they are getting and the forthrightness.
So I know this isn’t earth-shattering business news, but try to do things that are asked of you, when they are asked of you, with the quality that your customers expect from your company. And if it doesn’t quite work out that way, which sometimes it wont, and a client complains or asks why, tell them the truth. Tell them you will do better next time… and make sure you do. So back to the title “Excuses are for losers!”—my high school wrestling coach used to use that on our team all the time. And you know what? He was right then and it applies now as well.
