Wahm Forum - Your "Work-at-Home Moms" Support Group

taraburner · Thu Jan 03, 2008 3:14 am Running and hiding

How many people, especially women, run and hide when they don't know how to handle a situation?

This works both ways...
1) How many times have you dealt with a company or a business and been on the receiving end of inferior service or product yet you didn't speak up?! Why didn't you?
2) You own a business and you provided an inferior service or product and customer complains to you and you run and hide.

WHY?

Is it because they were never taught that they have a voice?
Never taught to stand up for their rights?
Never taught that it's the responsible thing to do when you screw up-- be accountable for your actions?
Were they not taught that you should have pride in what you do?
Were they not taught about integrity?
Are they afraid of confrontation and think if they run and hide somehow the problem will just disappear?

If you are in business, you need to be accountable for your service, your products and the way you handle your business affairs.

If you make a mistake: admit to it, apologize and FIX IT.
Problem is solved and everyone's happy and it's business as usual.

If you make a mistake and then run and hide from it: Whoever is on the receiving end of your inferior product/service because of your screw up will ultimately take action against you, pursue correction of said mistake and that could come in means of lawsuit, word of mouth of poor quality product/service to others which results in loss of potential business, and so many other avenues.

If you run and hide, do you not realize that not only does it confirm to others that you're not professional or accountable in your business but you also lose more money in the long run than had you gone ahead and done the right thing and been accountable for your screw up.

It's amazing how far a simple "I'm sorry about the screw up. Here's your refund, can we move on" will go. It'll go far in a good sense.
Example: You screw up an order for oh lets say $60...you could easily refund that $60 and business and life would go on as normal.
Or, you could run and hide and not acknowledge the person who received shoddy materials and not refund payment in full and suffer more than $60 worth of loss revenue because word gets around about your unprofessional way in which you handle (or don't handle for that matter) business.

Anyone can figure out that it'd be best in all regards to handle the situation and move on, not run and hide.

But, you can opt to run and hide which will still have a far lasting impression to others regarding your business and that'd be one of an unprofessional person who has no pride in the quality of work/service they provide nor integrity in handling business situations.

So, my question to you...
Are you running and hiding?
or standing strong and full of integrity and professionalism?

http://naturallytara.blogspot.com/2008/01/running-and-hiding-in-business.html

Tara :)

wahmannounce · Thu Jan 03, 2008 4:09 pm

It's a fact of life that mistakes are going to be made in business. Even large companies mess up. What makes a great business is how they handle and treat their customers (and of course, quality of products and services are a very high priority).

Yes, you're absolutely right. The best thing is to admit that you messed up, and fix it. Go out of your way to make it right...even offer something extra for the inconvenience you've caused. It may cost more time and money, but you will profit far more by building a good reputation for your business.

Carlak · Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:19 pm

I will have to agree.

Mistakes in business will happen it is how you handle them that earn the title of professional.

Joyfully,

~Carla