What do you think a potential client would think of you if you said you would do something, no matter how minor, and you did not do it?  They could possibly think:

•  This person is unreliable. I can’t trust them.
• This person lacks integrity: their word is not their word.
• I can’t trust this person to do what they say they will do.
• If they are not keeping their word on these simple things, can I trust what they are saying about their service?
• If this is how they treat me before I become a client, then how will they treat me if I become a client?
• I am obviously not that important to them.

Just suppose a current client calls you with a problem and you promise to call them back with a solution later that day. You get busy on another project and forget to call them. What do you think they might say to themselves about you? They could possibly say:

• This person is unreliable and lacks integrity.
• Now that I am a client, they obviously care less about me.
• I am not going to buy any more services if this is how I’ll be treated.
• Is there someone else I can find to do this for me who is reliable?
• I am definitely not going to refer anyone to them and risk my reputation.

So keeping your word is important not only for gaining new clients but also in keeping your current clients and gaining referrals.

Keeping your word is also important for how you think about you. If you don’t keep your word, you take a hit on your own confidence and self-esteem. You start to lose trust in yourself. This impacts all areas of your business and personal life.

Always remember that keeping your word is critical to your success.

Last 5 posts by Tessa Stowe

• Hate Selling? Start By Being “You” When Selling - October 5th, 2007
• What steps can you take to overcome your fear of selling? - September 29th, 2007
• Are You Having Sales Conversations From Your Head? - September 23rd, 2007
• Three Steps To Authentic Sales Conversations - September 22nd, 2007
• A Simple Sales Strategy: Ask Questions - September 17th, 2007

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 22nd, 2007 at 6:26 pm and is filed under Personal Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.