Followers of this blog may find the up-coming subject curious, as it doesn’t directly relate to prospecting or building new relationships in the world of B2B sales. That being said, those who are regular readers will know the primary focus of First Approach, and this thread, is one simple theme, “The Pursuit Of Relationship Capital”
Within this theme, maintaining relationships is critical if one is to actually “grow” their capital base of relationships. Therefore, managing existing relationships, especially through a difficult circumstance or event, is paramount.
The provocation behind the story I’m about to tell is based on a recent experience.
Some months ago, I made a commitment to a new client. I’ve made this same commitment countless times over the years to numerous other clients, and have never failed to deliver.
As I worked through the process of obtaining the result I had committed to, I encountered an unexpected “curve ball”, a problem that had never arisen before. No matter how hard I tried, I kept running up against the same road block, and it was a substantial obstacle; one that could well have meant my failure to deliver on my commitment, a commitment with a new client no less.
No matter how hard I tried, there simply was no evidence that I would overcome this hurdle and even more importantly, within the allotted time preceding the looming deadline.
This doesn’t happen to me often. I am obsessive when it comes to honouring commitments. I never knowingly commit to anything that I don’t truly believe I can deliver. But, stuff happens. And in this case, I had no choice but to confront the situation and contact the client with the bad news.
Now, most of us in the B2B sales environment have been in this position before. You say you never have? Just wait, you will. The paradox is in how most sales professionals handle this situation versus how we should approach this challenge, largely because that is how we have been trained or coached. In most organizations in fact, it is as engrained in the culture as anything else, and it’s wrong.
What is it? It is looking for cover. It is looking for the excuse that won’t reflect poorly on you, the person who made the mistake. It’s failing to be accountable. It could have just been a minor error in judgement, or it could have been a commitment gone unrequited because of someone else’s failure to deliver. No matter though, because in the end, it is your promise that will go unkept and with that, the potential damage to the relationship you enjoyed with the person you’re about to let down.
Why is it that we’re so inclined to run for cover, to place the blame on anyone or anything other than ourselves?
Mistakes are a reality in life. They are a reality in business.
This isn’t to say you can continually break promises or fail to keep commitments. However, if you are truly devout about making commitments you intend to keep, then you also need to be accountable on the rare occasion when something has gone wrong.
For me, there was no question as to what must be done. Remember, I made a commitment I absolutely believed I would keep. I worked tirelessly to find a solution within the current assignment framework, and ultimately, was sure there would be no way I could deliver without some adjustment to the framework.
I called the client. I let him know I’d been unable to deliver on the commitment in its current form.
I was clear that I had never encountered this challenge before, and I was specific about the level of effort I had made to overcome this predicament.
In other words, I fell on my sword.
I had no idea how this person I barely knew would react but in the end, it didn’t matter, because no other solution would be consistent with my brand and what I believe is integral to how to manage relationships, and ultimately, any chance that this situation would meet a favourable conclusion.
Generally speaking, in life you will find that if you treat people fairly and enter into commitments honestly, that people will be honourable in response. No, you should never make a commitment you don’t think you can keep but, if it does happen, people are usually far more likely to be empathetic when faced with honesty rather than a clever and often opaque excuse.
My client listened to what I had to say. He digested my detailed explanation as to how this situation manifested itself and what my very substantial efforts had been to remedy the situation.
In five minutes or so, we agreed on an acceptable work-around and proceeded with the assignment.
In the end, the service was delivered and the client was happy.
It could have gone either way, but if you wish to build long and enduring business relationships, then you need to be accountable when things go wrong. This forthright approach could have cost me money. It could have resulted in an angry client and a cancelled contract but the potential likelihood for an even less desirable outcome trumped the deceitful option.
Over the duration of my career, I have fallen on my sword a few times. It has always concluded with a positive ending, a relationship maintained, and the growth of my business.
Next time someone asks you to make an excuse or to place blame where it doesn’t belong, think again. Relationships are the foundation of a prosperous career in sales, and sometimes it means delivering the truth when you’re unable to deliver on the commitment,