Have you ever been conned by a business person? I mean the “What I ordered vs what I got” scenario? I’m glad you’re here. It’s high time we called them out on it.
I’d love you to share your experience with me. I’ve had quite a few myself. One time, a senior colleague of mine wanted to host a few friends. She’d contracted a caterer to take care of the meal. The rendezvous was smooth until it was break time and Madam Caterer was nowhere to be found😬. My colleague was already jittery and worried. There was no call or message from the caterer. Luckily, you can trust K’nifies Munchies to have backups😜.
A considerable time elapsed which was enough for the caterer to make any last-minute entrances. My colleague called.
SC: Hello ma, I’ve been waiting for you. Is everything okay?
Caterer: Oh!! I didn’t make anything o. I thought we canceled the agreement na.
SC: You thought what?
Uh oh. Apparently, the caterer had snubbed the order. Interestingly, my senior colleague had ordered, they had discussed price and confirmed the order. Now the caterer said my colleague didn’t call her back to remind her. You’ve got to be kidding me.
My colleague had been conned. It’s the same thing as your tailor saying she can reproduce that outfit you saw on Instagram. And yeah, does she reproduce it😐. Stop eet! It’s common courtesy:”Hey, I’m pretty tied up, I wouldn’t be able to do what you ask or if you can be patient with me before you get it, then great.”
Or
“I’m not as skilled as you think so don’t have high expectations. What you see is what you get.”
As business people, honesty and integrity go a long way. When you’ve slipped, apologize. A friend of mine bought hair online. What she received…let’s not talk about it. And of course, the vendor didn’t say a word despite all efforts to get her to apologize. How do these people sleep at night? That caterer has already lost whatever future business she may have done with my colleague or at least, she’ll always be doubted.
Be straight with your customers. If you know you can’t reproduce that bag, shoe, hairstyle, to be just what the customer wants, don’t take the order. You can go for training or wow them with your creativity😬. I don’t want to be the customer that goes “at least he tried” when I actually want to punch the wall. Be nice to me and I’ll be nice to you.
Also, if you’re running late on delivery, let your customer know in time. If after you’ve confirmed the order, you realize you won’t meet up, let your customer know. If you’ve taken the money and you won’t deliver, be nice and do a refund. If you’re actually a scammer, let your mark know.
The true satisfaction of a business person is in the satisfaction of his clients.