Three Promises for Success

This is expanded from my column initially published at Radio Ink Magazine

© 2022 by James Bahm All Rights Reserved

There are three promises you need make to internal and external customers. I have shared these with every customer I've worked with over the last two years, and it's translated to most success of my career. Stick to these, it'll make your job easier:

1. Never tell customers what they want to hear. Tell them the truth. When a customer asks if XYZ is possible and you know it isn't, tell them it's not possible to do XYZ; however, ABC is the way your company operates. I recently had to talk a customer out of canceling their order because one of my colleagues provided incorrect information. What you say is 100% a reflection of who you are. How another responds is a reflection of who they are.

2. Never answer a question when you don't know the answer. Honesty and integrity matter, being honest enough to admit you don't know something shows humility and grows the respect others have for you. Find the answer and relay it to them once you have it.

3. Never answer a hypothetical question. By definition hypothetical means something which isn't founded in reality, and is based on conjecture. Instead, share real examples you've encountered. Customers aren't asking about hypothetical situations, they want to know about something specific. Drill down on specific, real, tangible facts. For example: a customer says: "Hypothetically, if I want to cancel...". You say, "it sounds like all you're asking is what's our cancellation policy. Is that correct?" Focus on the reality of what they're asking and don't go down the rabbit hole of fantasy - it'll save you a lot of time, and headache.

Bottom Line: Never compromise your integrity because it's the one commodity you have that can dissipate forever with one false statement.

James Bahm is the author of Don’t Yuck My Yum – a Professional Development and Sales & Marketing book – which is available on amazon.com .