By Dave Fellman
It's an unfortunate truth that mistakes are going to happen. It's been said that Murphy's Law runs wild in in our industry, and that every order you take is an accident looking for a place to happen. The vast majority of printers strive for quality, and the best ones have established a high level of consistent total quality, which means quality of product, service, and relationship.
But even for those printers, it seems unavoidable that a bad one gets out of the shop every once in a while, or one goes out later than promised. What you do when one of those things happens is a measure of your commitment to total quality, and to truly taking care of your customers.
Learning Early
My father taught me something early on in my life about handling mistakes and problems. When I was a kid, he'd take me along on a day of sales calls from time to time, partly for the company, but I think also partly for the opportunity to teach me a few things about life in a "real-world" environment.
I remember a particular day when we walked into the offices of one of his customers (my dad sold office supplies) and were met by a man who was clearly annoyed. He said, "You guys fouled up, and we have a big problem," and my dad simply answered, "Then I'm glad I'm here. Tell me what we've got, and let's see what I can do to fix it."
The thing I remember most clearly about that moment was how the customer's annoyance went away. He seemed to take immediate comfort in the presence of the person who could solve his problem--and who showed interest in doing just that!
After my dad was finished inside (I have a more vague memory of him talking to three or four different people in that office and making a number of phone calls, and everybody seeming quite satisfied with the results of all that activity) we went out to the car, and he explained to me the real significance of what I'd just seen.
"You make a lot of promises when you're selling," he said, "and sometimes things don't go the way they should, or the way you planned them. But you shouldn't be afraid of those situations, or look at them just as problems. You should look at them as opportunities to prove that you're willing to keep all those promises you've been making, and live up to the trust people put in you."
Trust and Promises
Those two words are key, trust and promises. Just think about all the promises you make in selling, both stated and implied. Stated, meaning you come right out and say it. Implied, well, whether you say it or not, you’re promising a level of satisfaction, right? If you make those promises and keep them, people will trust you and buy from you. If not, possibly not.
That all hinges on how you respond to a quality or service failure. Think of it this way, most print buyers are as familiar with Murphy’s Law as we are, so they’re inclined to give you a chance to make it right. That brings the First Corollary to Murphy’s Law into play: Real trust is earned when things go wrong.
Dave Fellman is the president of David Fellman & Associates, Cary, NC, a sales and marketing consulting firm serving numerous segments of the graphic arts industry. Contact Dave by phone at 919-363-4068 or by e-mail at dmf@davefellman.com. Visit his website at www.davefellman.com.