Tell the Truth

Why do we search for excuses, seek to distract tough questions, throw mud at the competition - all to turn attention away from our own difficult situations?  Especially with customers?

Denial is not just a river in Egypt  - and it kills our credibility.

Telling the truth seems especially hard sometimes.

We had a bad quarter, or a bad year 
We lost a big account or partners
We're having big issues at a major customer
Our new product isn't doing as well as we hoped
A big competitor just stole our thunder

We're having some problems. So what do we do?  

First, let's chat about what we don't do. 

We don't fib, make up stories, make promises we can't keep. We don't distract attention by blaming another company or person. If we're having problems, anyone asking us about them already knows what's up.

So cowboy-up and face the music.

Be Open and Honest! We don't have to share the dirty laundry and all the details.  But we can be honest, open and paint a picture that is true. 

People respect others who open the kimono and tell the truth.

Ask yourself, which do you respect more?

The person or vendor who admits they have a problem and talks to you about how they plan to fix it ?  This approach assumes that you are a partner, that there is a trust-based relationship and that working together you can fix and/or improve the situation. It's a teaming, highly efficient way to focus on the solution and not how we got here. It also puts you, the customer, first.

OR

The person or vendor who sits there and justifies why the issue is not their fault, points at another vendor or your staff and blames them, or tells you why the issue just isn't that bad (even if it is interrupting your ability to take orders, or ship product).  This approach assumes that everyone is the enemy, that we're all in it for ourselves and that being right is the most important thing of all  - certainly more important than your business running smoothly.

Trusted relationships are one of the keys to success.

So start building and participating in trust, with everyone your business touches. Tell your customers the truth - and they will trust and respect you more for it.

And while we're at it - tell your employees the same truth. They're on your team, and they most likely already know what's really going on. 

Anything less than the truth kills our credibility. So fess up!

Comments

[Rebel Brown]

Hi Gill

Thanks for stopping by.

I personally think that we are responsible for our perception - and only ours. Others are going to have their perceptions - each and every one unique. We can't control that in our truth telling.

That said - I DO think we can take responsibility for being sensitive to another's perception and evolving HOW we speak our truth given their responses.

For example - if we speak our truth with boldness - it may sound egotistical. If we speak it as a soft statement - it may be heard more easily.

So much about communication revolves around HOW we say and do things, fro voice inflection and cadence to body language - versus what we're saying.

I had an example last week. I was on the phone with someone exploring an opportunity. That person was doing a rapid fire questioning of me and my goals - looking for ways that their offering might support me. Which was fine.

The issue was that most everything I said was twisted toward the negative - why it wouldn't work, why I needed help. The other person was looking for the truth - but it was THEIR truth. Which was to find a hole in my life plan to push their offering thru.

I'm sure that person thought they were speaking the truth, in their perception. But to me - it was less about truth and more about putting me down to attract me to their service.

Had that person taken the approach of presenting their offering and then asking me where I thought their product intersected my needs - I would've responded differently to their truth, and things might've turned out differently.

Bottom line - truths can be shared harshly, aggressively, lovingly, tenderly and every way in between.

Its as important to be thoughtful with HOW we share the truth as well as what we share.

That's communication!

Hope that gives you more to ponder. Come back and comment again if you want to keep chatting!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING!

reb

[Gill Wagner]

Hey, Rebel,

Nice piece. Thank you for keeping the momentum going on ingraining honesty into work and life.

One of the caveats of honesty, however, is perception. Just last week I engaged in a dialog where my intention was to learn, but the other person saw it as an attack.

How do you factor perception into your truth and honesty equations?

Gill