Hey, Charlie Hauck here, President, Lead Trainer, Founder of Growth Dynamics with another Fast Tip Friday!
This is something that's applicable in all parts of our lives and it deals with something that we've all had to deal with… nobody's immune from it. It’s a simple rule that I find has saved me more aggravation and salvage more relationships than I care to think about, and it's really simple but that doesn't mean it's common practice
Bad news never gets better with time.
Look, we've all been part of a circumstance where we've got to go to someone and give them news that they don't wanna hear and frankly let's be honest we don't wanna be the ones to give it to them, but the longer you wait the more disrespectful you are to the person that you're talking to. When I share this idea with people or I hear people say “hey I've got to give bad news to Bob but I don't think it's the right time.” That's one of the things that makes me crazier than almost anything… there's never the real right time to give somebody bad news except the moment you first get it. The sooner you can give bad news to people, the more opportunity you provide them to do Plan B or another option that allows them to escape the impact of the bad news that you've got to give them.
The hard part is particularly in business development, people don't wanna give a customer bad news because they'll lose the sale. Well, that frankly is why a lot of people don't like sales people… you're just in it for the commission and you don't care what kind of impact you have on their business, or their lives. The simple fact is the best time to give bad news is immediately, you keep the trust, you allow them to do what's best for them, you give them the opportunity to find more options, even if it means you're not the right option, and they realize that you're taking care of them, not focused on your own financial success or win. The best chance to take care of them is when you have the best information that you can share with them, even if it's bad information.
Don't become a self preservationist because you don't wanna lose the hard work that you've done. They don't wanna lose the hard work that they've done either, they don't wanna be angry about trusting you and having you take advantage of that trust.
So, as soon as you get bad news for a customer or a prospect give them the bad news even if it means you lose the business or that opportunity you'll get it back many times over when they learn they can trust you to take care of them before you're worried about taking care of yourself.
It's the rule you gotta live by. I don't know of an exception to this rule, if you find one let me know and I'll argue to my death to prove that you're not right! Thanks for reading - have a great Memorial Day weekend.. take care.
