Your Promise is Your Integrity

Once you have gained your customer's trust, you need to avoid making this common mistake.

by Brock Henderson Principal, Henderson & Associates [October 11, 2007]

Politicians are well known for their "promises" during a campaign. The old joke is: How can you tell when a politician is lying? When his lips are moving. Is that how customers view your sales staff?

A promise is important, so I don't make promises often. Usually, I'll tell a person that "I'll try", or "If I can", or "I'll do my best", or some other qualifier that leaves me a little wiggle room.

To me a promise is a sacred bond between two individuals; and I hate breaking a promise . . . even if the promise is to myself.

When you break a promise, it damages your credibility and your integrity. If people can't rely on our word, what can they rely on? Can you really trust someone (or the company they represent) if they are constantly breaking their word? Even if the reason for breaking it is understandable or justifiable, too many broken promises destroys a person's integrity.

When your salesperson breaks their promise to a customer, the customer not only has doubts about that individual, but also about your company and your products and services.

I know business people who are wonderful human beings, but if they promise you something, don't count on it. Heck, don't even bother to believe it. I believe them and trust them … right up to the point where they promise to do something for me.

It isn't that they are intentionally lying to me, it's just that they don't know how to say "No".

People count on you when you promise them something. They are depending on you to deliver, so don't break your promise. And don't let your salespeople break promises either.

If a customer or prospect wants you to "promise" you can do something . . . don't. Tell them you will do your best, or your damnedest, or something. But let them know, that in spite of your best efforts there is a chance something well beyond your control could go wrong.

And if you do see there will be a problem . . . or might be a problem . . . call the customer immediately and tell them. Don't tell them after the fact—tell them before, so they can start making contingency plans, (or at least be emotionally prepared), if you can't deliver "as promised".

Tell them (1) what the problem (or potential problem) is; and (2) what you and your company are doing to correct the situation.

If the bottom does fall out despite your best efforts, you have maintained your credibility and your integrity with the customer; and the customer doesn't feel like they have been lied to.

Promising is an easy trap for a salesperson to fall in to. The customer asks if something can be accomplished by a certain time, or in a certain way, and without thinking the salesperson (who doesn't want to lose a sale) replies "Yes" without checking (or probably even without thinking).

Don't make a promise without really thinking about it first. This will help to ensure that you don't promise something you or your company can't deliver; and secondly, the very fact that you took a few seconds to consider the promise tells the client you are sincere and confident in your promise.

This is a mistake best avoided. It's a problem that's difficult to solve. Once you have damaged your credibility with a customer, it is basically impossible to recover. No matter how good you are in the future, just one incident of damaged credibility will remain in the customer's mind forever.

Protect your reputation, your credibility, and your integrity—don't make promises in haste.

—End