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The Perfect Sales Apology #436
Have you ever wronged someone but struggled to say your sorry in a way that prompted forgiveness from the person you wronged? Have you had that happen to you in business? Without doubt I’m certain you have! Because we all make mistakes. We all do things that benefit us more than others. This is the human experience. But far too often our egos get in the way and we refuse to admit we’re wrong. Or if we do, we layer on excuses to make us feel better but it does nothing to further forgiveness. What can we do, to make wrongs right? This is the topic for today, the perfect sales apology.
Today’s Chapter: Time To Quit Selling
I was wrong
Completely wrong.
At the time I had my reasons
But it doesn’t change the fact
I was wrong.
How can I make this right?
Today’s Story
The company screwed up and Chris was the first to learn it. The customer had gone ballistic and was threatening to yank the contract. There was a flurry of calls and the entire weekend was devoted to solving the issue. Chris was innocent and had nothing to do with the misstep. It was all on customer service who dropped the ball, creating a devastating situation. This was the first time Chris had experienced something like this. It was such a debacle.
But Pat put Chris at ease.“I know it’s not your fault, it’s the company’s fault. But since you have the relationship with the customer it falls on you to apologize. And there is only one way to do this – fully take responsibility.”
“I guess I can see that,” said Chris. “I guess it makes sense for me to talk to them. But what should I say?”
“Tell them it’s all on us” replied Pat “Tell them we completely missed the mark. Make sure they know they have every right to be angry with us. We were wrong and we want to make things right for them. Ask them what it will take to fix this. We need to keep them as a customer and make sure other customers don’t catch wind. We’re going to do what it takes to fix this. And when this is all done, put processes in place so it never happens again.”
Take Action Quote
I recall one time I had a customer who was constantly complaining our system was not working right yet we couldn’t see any issues on our end. After going back and forth for two weeks one of the engineers discovered there was an odd instance that only affected THAT customer. It was devastating and I apologized profusely and to make it right, gave them an entire year of service for free in hopes that come time to renewal it would all be forgotten. It worked! But at the time it was an extremely painful experience. By taking full responsibility, we retained a client.
Ben Franklin wrote “Never ruin an apology with an excuse”. When people are wronged they want to be heard and acknowledged.. A sincere and full apology can quickly diffuse a bad situation. It’s the only way to move forward.
Lastly, like I said I use this apology in business, but it also works in your personal life. Self righteousness gets you nowhere. We all make mistakes. Own it and use this apology to make it right. Good luck.
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How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble
Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers. Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help, showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com
You can be yourself when selling. It’s all about helping others with their challenges and aspirations. I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset. Stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast. Look here https://www.salesbabble.com/sales-podcast-free-advice/
This is a production of Habanero Media https://habaneromedia.net
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