Own your mistakes or they will own you

In a panicked state, I exited the terminal three hours late after my flight was delayed due to fog and inclement weather. I rushed to pick up my hire car while apologising over the phone to my client and assuring her I wasn’t far away.

I anxiously took the sixty minute trek to my new business pitch. With a sense of defeat, I questioned whether my many hours of preparation, flight and now pained efforts would all be in vein. Being late to a key presentation seldom sets positive tone and negative first impressions are always challenging to overcome.

My sat-nav directed me safely through fog and lashing rain to my destination. I pulled-up, checked in with reception and after a swift set-up ? launched into my presentation!

It’s easy to blame factors beyond your control for letting people down. In this instance, I could have confidently blamed the airline, but I didn’t. Interestingly, Qantas failed to offer even a token gesture for inconveniencing their passengers. In particular, those who delayed others or missed meetings altogether, and some no doubt lost money or goodwill as a result.

In my introduction, I not only apologised to the 10 stakeholders who came in especially and rearranged their schedules to meet with me, I offered a gesture of goodwill to demonstrate my regret. They all accepted and appeared comfortable with my barter. This gesture will cost me, though the price is insignificant for their trust and tenure.

It is one thing to make an apology, quite another to do something about it. If you let a prospect or client down, even when circumstances are out of your control, do your best to demonstrate you’re disappointed. Offer a discount, something low cost but of high perceived value or something small yet meaningful.

Often a sorry just won’t cut it so make your apology real and tangible. This helps to rebuild goodwill and you may just turn your negative into a positive. Correcting an error in a thoughtful way can and usually does galvanise your relationship and makes it even stronger.

You will be pleased to know a few days later this client gave me the go ahead.

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Trent Leyshan is the founder and CEO of BOOM Sales! a leading sales training and sales development specialist. He is also the creator of The NAKED Salesman, BOOMOLOGY! RetroService, and the Empathy Selling Process.