Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

…is “WTF?”

You can usually head this off by simply communicating. Return phone calls within - say - 24 hours. Ditto re emails. Sure, life happens and sometimes that’s just not possible, but do communicate as soon as you can. Also, if you can’t fix a problem; are going to miss a deadline; underestimated or overestimated on time or dollars - the sooner you tell the customer, the better for everyone. Even if you’ve totally f’d up - tell the customer. At least they’ll know what’s going on. Think about it - how do you feel when you’re left wondering “what the….?”

This communications thang also applies to peers, vendors, and your own employees. I know, I know. It can be really hard to admit your mistakes. I’ve had to do it more than once. And, I grovel when necessary. it’s about respect for the other person, not my own big, bad Aries ego.

In my experience, the biggest deal (and relationship) killer isn’t “miscommunication” - it’s no communication. Real-life example: Lena West and Ian, the totally clueless tech guy.

I seem to be on a tear re customer service this week - but really, folks, it doesn’t have to be so hard. Key to any successful relationship is communication. And, that means making sure the other person understood what you meant. (This is why email isn’t the best vehicle for dicey situations. Pick up the phone or - better yet - go meet in person, if at a possible.)

Since I got a “flamer” comment on a recent post - thought I should repeat the rules of the road. I moderate all comments. If you’d like to leave a comment, please do so. Feel free to disagree - debate is healthy. However, I’ve blacklisted the worst obscenities, including the “f” word, as part of the troll wall.