You've Screwed Up - Now What Do You Do?
OK everyone - even the Sales Diva is not immune to screwing up
royally every now and then! I can't believe I am actually going
to tell you what happened to me recently... but it will give you
a laugh!
I was recently asked by a local college to do a tele-class call.
No problem. Booked the date. Booked the time. Was completely
prepared for the 8 pm call.
Went for dinner at 5:30 pm. By 6:50 pm I was on the road and
only 10 minutes from home.
Then it happened....
Boom!
One of the rear wheel tires on my car started making that
"thumping" noise that we all dread.
The problem? I am on a major city freeway with traffic whipping
past me at 100 miles per hour.
Problem #2?
Cell phone battery has barely enough juice to make one call.
Problem #3?
I don't have the number of the facilitator - I only have her
office number!
You know what happened - I called a tow truck - left a
breathless message for the facilitator and then sat in my car on
the freeway for an hour- and missed the tele-class entirely..the
one I was supposed to appear on as a guest!
Screw-ups Do Happen - So What's The First Step?
1. Act quickly. This is not a time for putting your head in the
sand, getting defensive and not accepting responsibility!
What did I do? I left 2 messages for the facilitator, e-mailed
her and then also called immediately the next morning. (You can
imagine the sleep I had!) I apologized profusely for the stress
and embarrassment I had caused her and asked her what I could do
to make the situation better.
2. Do Whatever Needs To Be Done - Quickly. The facilitator was
fabulous. She had been worried about me as she knew I would
never leave her in that type of situation on purpose.
Her students were very understanding and they were also worried
about me! We set a date for a second call the following week and
recorded a fabulous session.
3. Over-Deliver. Don't just meet the needs of your
customer...over-deliver. I sent an apology note to the
participants of the call and I also sent a gift - a report they
could use for their businesses immediately.
We have all screwed up at one point or another - however - the
true mistake is when you don't handle it properly!
Who do you need to contact today to solve a problem that you
have caused? As my mom would say " SNAP OUT OF IT" and get your
act in gear - you will feel soooooo much better and so will your
customer!
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