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Today, I want to talk to you about the things business owners do that impact their results and sabotage their success.  As you can imagine, after 20+ years as a business coach, I’ve seen it all.  All the things that work … and the things that don’t.

Let me illustrate the latter with a story.

I’ve had the same accountant for a number of years.  He’s done a good job and he’s responsive.  But when his firm merged with a larger one, his prices skyrocketed!  There was no offer of more value, just a higher price tag.  So, I went shopping.

I hired someone based on the recommendation of a trusted friend.  Tom and I interviewed him, and we were pleased.  He had the knowledge and expertise.  He was very personable.  And the price was good.

Now, fast forward.  He got all my tax stuff in early to mid-February.  He needed to file an extension because he had some personal issues and just couldn’t get to it.  Totally understandable.

Extensions on corporate taxes are due September 15 (not October).  So, in mid-July, I nudged him to get this done.  I nudged … and nudged … and nudged … all the way until I went to bed on September 15!  As you can imagine, it caused a tremendous amount of stress.

On the morning of Sept. 16, I got a text that read, “Corporate is filed. Will get a copy to you tomorrow.”

Wait!  What?  I never even got to look at it for errors or omissions.

That situation has me thinking about all the service providers we’ve dealt with over the last few months.  Handymen who never come back and finish a job.  Doctor’s offices where you can’t ever get to a live human being.

I am so tired of bad service!

So, why am I telling you all this?

If you want to be successful in business, exceptional customer service is an absolute must.

You are the core of your business.  Your reputation is on the line.  And frankly, inexplicably, I see a lot of businesses coming up short in the quality department.

I’ve had to help clients … even coaches … manage their calendars with integrity.  I see so many business owners who are way too hard to reach.  Their voicemail is full.  They don’t return calls in a timely manner.  They fail to respond to requests in a timely fashion.  And I’m amazed to see business owners who don’t follow up with a potential client, letting the opportunity slip away or get cold.

Success in business rests on a solid foundation of integrity and rigor. 

By rigor, I mean bringing your “A” game to the table … doing whatever you do scrupulously well.  It’s about adhering to the highest standards in your customer service and business operations …. always operating with integrity and professionalism. 

There’s no fancy marketing strategy that can make up for any deficiency in these areas!

In my last Life Lessons newsletter, we talked about how we, as human beings, avoid anything that’s uncomfortable.  We avoid anything where we’re unsure how to proceed.  We avoid the hard conversations.

Being rigorous means you’re committed to developing a great product or impactful service … and the organization to support it.  And, it involves holding true to your standards, even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient.

There’s a distinction I first learned from Landmark Education.  It’s now a value I hold dear and live by daily.  That’s the distinction of integrity.

Landmark defines integrity as simply doing what you said you would.  It also means informing people if you can’t accomplish something you said you would … before it’s actually due.

Look, we all fall short of perfection.  That’s a given.  But whether you’re in business for yourself or an employee, I urge you to look at where you may need to clean up your act.  Be rigorous.  Do a thorough analysis of your systems, processes, and behaviors.

Rigor.  Integrity.  These are the pillars your business success is built on.

Increase your standards of customer service.  Go the extra mile.

I promise you it’ll be worth the effort.

Warmly,

PS. Oh, and does anyone know of a good accountant in NC?

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Meet Denise: Denise Hedges is a Business Development Coach and Speaker Coach for small business owners who want to be more comfortable, confident, and successful with their sales and marketing efforts. She specializes in helping them use speaking as a way to dramatically improve their results

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