As business owners it is all about that lasting impression that we leave. Honesty and reliability would be two key personality traits that would be at the top of any clients list.
To do a job well we need to have two things: expertise and enough time (plus a bit) to ensure our ability to meet the deadline as set out. There is really no point in committing to something that in the end we are unable to deliver on - the client is not going to pay us for work that we have not done, will go somewhere else next time and will most likely spread the word that such-and-such business should not be touched with a barge pole.
Something I heard or read or something a long time ago is that a customer who has had a bad experience will spread the word at a more rapid rate than if they have had a particularly good experience. I would tend to agree with this observation.
Thank you to Ruth Maplewood of Maplewood Virtual Assistance who recently reminded us of how important it is to deliver on our promises in a post at VAnetworking. I felt this an important enough topic to blog about here.
Filed under: A Positive Difference!, Down to Business, Fresh Thoughts | Tagged: business owners, commitments, happy customers, impressions, integrity, meeting deadlines
Agreed. It is much better to under-promise and then over-deliver.
Tom Kelly
CRM Review