justplainbil

Just Plain Bill

Four steps to own up to mistakes,

and move on with respect

About 25 years ago, I learned an incredible lesson on how to own up to a mistake, and move on with honor. Our COO, Jim Judd, visited a sales management training session I was facilitating for 32 mortgage sales managers.

Jim started his presentation by asking, “Who in this room has either made a mistake or has been guilty of an error of judgment, leading to an unhappy customer or manager, a mistake in policy and/or procedure that required fixing, or anything that would be deemed less-than-exceptional quality of service?”

The fact that no hands were raised indicated that what Jim was identifying was something we’d all experienced – some of us more than others.

Jim then role-played a customer scenario where he demonstrated the process that works exceptionally well for him. The steps are as follows:

First, tell the customer or manager that they had not experienced your best work.

Second, indicate that you’re sorry the error or mistake took place.

Third, use exact terms to define what should not have happened.

Fourth, assure the customer that the error will be corrected and steps will be taken to ensure the problem will not occur again.

No extra words… no excuse making… just absolute and affirmative statements that go a long way to repair a damaged relationship and provide reassurance to the recipient of the less-than-exceptional service that you have their best interests at heart.

When, and if something does not work well for you, give these steps a try. I guarantee you’ll be enhancing your problem solving skill set.