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Within the early days of constructing my firm, earlier than workforce retreats, firm values or something resembling construction — I landed a shopper I assumed would change all the pieces. A family title. A beneficiant funds. Entry to rooms I would solely dreamed of.
They had been charming, pressing and keen to maneuver quick. “We’ll work out the specifics later,” they stated. And I — bold, energized, hungry — stated sure.
That was my first mistake.
By saying sure to being good, I stated no to setting boundaries. Scope ballooned. Expectations multiplied. As an alternative of main the connection, I chased it — reactive, overextended and more and more misaligned. When the contract ended, they vanished. No thank-you. No follow-up. No second thought.
The work was high-quality. The expertise? A pricey lesson.
The issue with “good”
Good is simple. Good is well mannered. Good does not rock the boat. However when good replaces readability, it turns into harmful.
Good masks the reality in tender language. It dulls helpful rigidity. It delays discomfort and multiplies injury.
We as soon as labored with a DEI compliance agency that introduced in a star spokesperson and rolled out a whole rebrand, with out looping us in. Once they requested for suggestions, we smiled and nodded. It wasn’t good. However they had been proud, and we did not need to kill the momentum.
A number of weeks later, they employed a guide who informed them the precise truths we did not. They listened. They acted. They pivoted — with out us. Not as a result of we failed, however as a result of we stayed quiet.
Here is the irony: they wished the reality. Most purchasers do.
Associated: Why Empathy Is a Essential Entrepreneurial Talent (and Easy methods to Develop Yours)
What silence prices you
In a enterprise panorama the place 89% of shoppers usually tend to interact with firms that reply to all critiques, silence does not learn as professionalism — it reads as disinterest.
In digital advertising and marketing, sugarcoating is not kindness — it is negligence. It prevents the trustworthy, typically uncomfortable conversations that truly transfer the work ahead.
One other shopper got here to us with a brand-new web site from one other agency. It was clunky, templated, and, frankly, appeared like a rip-off. I might’ve softened the suggestions. As an alternative, I referred to as out the purple flags, shared competitor benchmarks and outlined the dangers. That second of honesty saved them tens of hundreds — and earned us their long-term belief.
Fact: a strategic benefit
Honesty is not simply ethical — it is strategic.
We as soon as labored with a board recreation firm whose management resisted each suggestion. We accommodated them, afraid to overstep. The outcome? The marketing campaign flopped.
So we reset the connection. “You employed us for our experience,” we informed them. “Allow us to lead — or allow us to go.”
That second modified all the pieces. Belief changed rigidity. Technique began to click on. Outcomes adopted. As a result of that is what reality does: it realigns, refocuses and rebuilds.
Why we keep quiet (and the right way to cease)
Most of us had been raised on: “If you do not have one thing good to say, do not say something in any respect.” However in enterprise? A greater rule is:
“If you do not have one thing productive to say, wait till you do—after which say it clearly.”
Honesty with out empathy is blunt. Empathy with out honesty is manipulation. However collectively, they create affect — the type that earns belief, drives change, and builds resilient groups.
You do not have to be aggressive to be direct. However you do should be courageous.
Constructing a tradition the place reality is not taboo
This is not nearly shopper service — it is about inside tradition. At my company, we lead with candor. Not as a result of it is easy, however as a result of it builds stronger groups. Groups that really feel heard, revered, and empowered to talk up.
One time, a shopper gave suggestions that stung. Earlier than the subsequent name, I informed my workforce: “Watch how we tackle this — head-on, respectfully, with out compromising our values.” On the decision, I informed the shopper their feedback had landed poorly. To not disgrace. Simply to tell.
“Our workforce loves working with you,” I stated. “Let’s be certain they proceed to really feel revered.” The outcome? An apology, a cookie bouquet, and a shopper who now leads with the identical transparency.
Wish to get higher at telling the reality? Begin right here:
- Bake it in: Construct suggestions loops into your course of. Do not look forward to catastrophe.
- Educate it: Direct, constructive communication is a talent. Practice your workforce prefer it issues — as a result of it does.
- Mannequin it: If management is not trustworthy, nobody else will likely be.
Last thought
Being good would possibly win a smile. However being trustworthy earns outcomes.
Lead with empathy. Inform the reality. And construct shopper relationships that are not afraid of friction, however constructed to develop by it.
Within the early days of constructing my firm, earlier than workforce retreats, firm values or something resembling construction — I landed a shopper I assumed would change all the pieces. A family title. A beneficiant funds. Entry to rooms I would solely dreamed of.
They had been charming, pressing and keen to maneuver quick. “We’ll work out the specifics later,” they stated. And I — bold, energized, hungry — stated sure.
That was my first mistake.
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