Communication is King

29th January 2015

Do you always do what you say you are going to do? And do you always look at ways to make the best out of a bad situation. In other words do you face up to your problems, take responsibility for them, and then deal with them?

Behaving in this way in business (and in life generally) can help you to gain trust and respect, which in the long term is far more likely to bring you loyal customers and repeat business. Doing what you say you will do is essential, because whilst you may get away with it on the odd occasion, generally speaking it leaves people feeling frustrated and dissatisfied if you renege on your word. There may be a good reason, but it is always best to contact people before you let them down to tell them you cannot honour your commitment. Be it a delivery, a payment, an email or anything else large or small, if you find you are no longer in a position to do what you said you were going to do, face up to it and speak to your client to explain why not. Although they may be a little annoyed initially, 99 times out of 100 they would rather know that you are letting them down, as long as they know they can trust you in the long run.

That is why we always talk about “under-promising” and “over-delivering.” Don’t build up people’s expectations if you know you will struggle to fulfil them. It is far better to make things sound less good initially, and then do something which surprises them in a positive way.

I have always found that keeping communication going with people is the best way forward, however tricky the situation may be. Don’t stick your head in the sand and hope it will go away, as it never does, and problems tend to just keep building up. Face up to the issue, discuss solutions, and find a way that keeps both parties happy. It is amazing what you can achieve by doing things this way. Trusting and contented customers, and sometimes friends for life.

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