Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Keep Up Appearances

To gain exposure for his new dog product, Carl developed and launched a series of educational courses in partnership with a local pet store. Carl stayed optimistic throughout the process, implementing different marketing techniques and keeping the owner informed of his progress. Still, the program failed to attract the promised number of new customers.

When the program ended, Carl decided not to complain or blame anyone. He took responsibility for the outcome and made suggestions for future projects. To Carl's surprise, the owner was looking forward to working with him again. Carl's attention to detail, inspirational ideas and willingness to be held responsible made him a pleasure to partner with, and the owner believed their next venture would be successful.

Not even a small failure has the power to harm a solid reputation. Taking responsibility for your own actions and mistakes encourages people to trust you and work through challenges. People will remember how helpful your good temperament, disposition and personality were during the process.

A solid reputation also creates a distinct competitive advantage that can't be readily duplicated. People buy from those they feel they can respect and trust. Create instant rapport with customers and colleagues by taking personal responsibility for your business and even the negative outcomes of your activities and you'll see your good reputation grow.

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1 comment:

  1. Been on twitter for about 3 weeks. I have seen a moderate boost in traffic. Mostly traffic from people just browsing for more followers, but traffic none the less. Next step: learning how to build a stronger network and convert these additional eyeballs in to fans and sales. come check me out.


    http://twitter.com/spryka

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