This true story led to lost business. It didn’t have to happen. What would you have done?
Stasha had a long-time monthly contract with XYZ service to clean her shop every other Wednesday. On the day before the scheduled cleaning, XYZ owner Robert texted Stasha his usual pre-cleaning date reminder that asked for a confirmation response.
It so happened that on that Tuesday Stasha was at a funeral for a close relative and when she saw the text, she inadvertently did not confirm the date.
When Stasha returned to the shop on Wednesday and Robert did not show up, she called to find out why. The conversation went something like this
S. Hi, Robert. I thought you would be here today to clean the shop. 
R. Well, you did not confirm my text yesterday.
S. I am so very sorry! I was at a funeral, which was very upsetting because I was so close to my aunt, and I must have failed to properly respond. Since we have been working together for such a long time, I have to ask why you didn’t reach out to me again by phone?
(And here is where the story goes off the rails!)
R. Well, I don’t have time to call everyone who doesn’t respond. You should have confirmed when you saw the text.
S. I was at a funeral!
R. Not my problem. I have scheduling issues to deal with.
S. Well, how are we going to resolve this?
R. You will just have to wait until our next scheduled service.
S. I’ll tell you what, Robert. We can skip the next service and every service after that. We. Are.Through.
How Many Ways Did Robert Blow This Relationship?
- He clearly failed to show any empathy for Stasha.
- He became defensive and played the blame game – It’s her fault.
- He complained about his own problem.
- He framed a non-solution solution.
Here is how the conversation could have gone which would have kept the business.
S. Hi, Robert. I thought you would be here today to clean the shop.
R. Well, you did not confirm my text yesterday.
S. I am so very sorry! I was at a funeral, which was very upsetting because I was so close to my aunt, and I must have failed to properly respond. Since we have been working together for such a long time, I am curious why you didn’t reach out to me again by phone?
R. (Empathy) I’m sorry about your loss, Stasha. Sounds like your aunt meant a great deal to you.
S. Yes, she did. Thank you.
R. (Reasonable explanation). To answer your question, since you have always responded in the past, I figured you had an important reason to cancel. I am sorry I didn’t reach out in another way. I will do that if this should happen again.
S. Yes, please do. Now, how are we going to resolve this?
R. (Best efforts solution). This might be tricky. You know how tight our scheduling is. I really don’t have anything open between now and our next appointment in two weeks. However, I will put you at the top of the list for any cancellations before then. Cancellations do, in fact, happen so there is a 50-50 chance we will be able to come before the next monthly appointment. I wish I could do more, but I can’t. How does that sound?
S. Umm, obviously not my first choice, but I guess that will have to do. Let’s hope for a cancellation!
R. I promise that you will be the first to know!
Stuff Happens
Yes, Robert had every reason not to show up on Wednesday, and clients can be thoughtless, frustrating, careless, etc., but it is rarely worth making them wrong to win a battle with them only to lose the war – their continued business.
Empathy, Patience, and Strategy beat defiance, victimization, and anger every time.
Anne Miller
Words Matter – Make What You Say Pay!
Photo byNicole Wreyford on Unsplash
See related Blog: A Really Stupid Way to Lose a Client
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