What To Do When You Screw Up

Blunder. Miscalculation. Goof. Total unmitigated disaster.

Whatever word we want to use – including those that aren’t quite suitable for younger listening audiences – mistakes happen. And the more experienced you are, the more anecdotes you have about mistakes and, well, your contribution to their existence.

There’s nothing wrong about this; in fact, if you’ve made it for any length of time without really screwing up, then you’re luckier than most. Mistakes are a permanent geographical feature of the sales professional landscape. They’re unavoidable. That’s reality.

So what defines successful sales professionals from unsuccessful ones – since, as we’ve admitted here, everyone makes mistakes? It’s how you respond to mistakes that matters. So here’s what to do when (not if!) you’ve made a mistake:

• Be fast and acknowledge the mistake ASAP. Don't look for ways to avoid reality. The faster you acknowledge the situation, the faster you can be on your way to fixing it.
• Be bold and admit that you’ve messed up. Make certain that your solution to the problem will go far beyond merely satisfying the customer. Use this unasked for opportunity to wow them with your responsiveness, integrity, and willingness to make things right.
• Be open and encourage feedback. Make sure that your solution can satisfy your customer’s needs. You might think that you've offered a brilliant fix, but your customer may not see it that way. Remember: a customer who has experienced the joy of having a problem solved can in fact become more loyal in the long run...but only if the solution was what they had in mind.
• Be accountable and ensure that your solution doesn't backfire! Follow-up and follow-through on everything you proposed, and make certain that it was executed exactly as you directed. If not, then anything less than a success can’t be attributed exclusively to you.
• Be wise and learn from the mistake(s). Put in processes that will mitigate the possibility of it happening again (and again, and again...).

No one "wants" to make a mistake, but sure as the sun will shine, mistakes will happen. Consider them a learning experience, follow the tips found here, and move on. Tomorrow is another day.