Comments on: Taking Responsibility

By: Ryan M. Healy

Ryan M. Healy — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:34:20 +0000

@Joe – I’d heard of Rule #1, but hadn’t heard #2. That’s pretty funny. I agree: it’s about finding common ground and solving the problem — not pointing fingers.

@Jeremy – Yes, going the extra mile seems to pay off, especially in the long-term.

@John – Hmmm.. not exactly what you want to hear when you’re dissatisfied. That’s a bummer. Well, I can agree that the customer/client is sometimes wrong… it’s a matter of how we handle a situation like that. Diplomacy is key.

@Scott – So true. The better you set expectations up front, the more likely it is you will meet (or exceed) those expectations. That’s one reason I never guarantee a certain conversion rate. Too many variables involved.

@Mark – True. There are times when you simply have to decide that you’ve done enough, and move on.

Ryan

By: Mark Pocock

Mark Pocock — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:19:30 +0000

Ryan

Sometimes I think there’s a danger where you want the client to succeed more than they do. I know that’s a trap I’ve fallen into in the past.

regards

Mark

By: Scott Birkhead

Scott Birkhead — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:44:07 +0000

I think that’s true – and to make sure you don’t have ugliness, you have to help your client REALLY understand your product/service so that there’s no dispute what it will and won’t do…BEFORE they buy it.

I sell a service that requires the buyer to put in effort to get results. I guarantee what I sell but part of that is that they do the work. If they do, and the results aren’t there, it’s my fault…

Good post, Ryan!

By: John

John — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:20:03 +0000

Funny you wrote this today, Ryan. In the last two days I’ve dealt with two different people who have screwed up, one significantly, and they both offered an “apology” that basically says “I’m sorry if you were dissatisfied, but you did get something for your money so quit complaining.”

Not exactly a sincere apology in my mind. Especially when there are quite a few people complaining about lack of delivery on what was promised. If it was just me, I might just chalk it up to my bad attitude :-)

I don’t subscribe to the “customer is always right” mindset. They’re sometimes wrong, and there are times when you should “fire” a customer.

But if you promise something and don’t deliver on it through nobody’s fault but your own, you should admit your mistake and make the situation right.

Great post, as usual.

By: Jeremy Reeves

Jeremy Reeves — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:18:20 +0000

Wow, so true Ryan.

Plus, in the end you’ll make more of a profit. Because if the client either 1) realizes he’s wrong or 2) notices that you didn’t complain when others have…

…they’re going to praise you to all their buddies.

Then you start getting more referrals, which leads to more business, and more money!

So in the end…even though it’s an inconvenience, it’s always worth it to go the extra mile like you said.

Jeremy Reeves
http://www.ControlBeatingCopy.com

By: Joseph Ratliff

Joseph Ratliff — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:59:18 +0000

RULE#1 “The customer is always right.”

RULE#2 “If the customer is wrong, see RULE#1.”

Personally, I am a very solutions-oriented person…so I try to avoid “fault” and go straight for whatever problem needs a solution. This doesn’t always work with every client I have ever had…as some clients seem to need to blame someone.

In that case, I just accept responsibility and move on. Hard to do sometimes, but the argument that could develop just isn’t worth the time and energy IMHO.

Joe