'Harm me once, shame on you. Harm me twice, shame on me.' In other words, we should learn from our mistakes. Better still, learn before you ever make a mistake. This document by Grace Bauer gives you the opportunity to benefit from one of her own negative experiences.
Have you made an exception recently and regretted it? Well I did, and boy did I learn a lesson. Yes, I’ve made exceptions in the past as well, and I never seemed to learn. However, the lesson from this one will stick in my brain: Don’t make any exceptions unless you’re willing to accept the consequences.
I made an exception related to accounts receivable. Company policy states that payment for customized agency manuals is due within one week of receipt of invoice. As an accommodation, or an 'exception,' I agreed to accept 50% of payment upon receipt of invoice, 25% of payment when the first manual was complete, and the final payment when all manuals were complete. Well, the final manual was finished, the last review performed, and payment was now due. However, I failed to realize that the customer might think that the first payment wasn’t due until they had completed the final changes — which could take weeks, months, or even years. It was my fault for making the exception without spelling out the conditions.
LEARNING A LESSON
We often implement policies because experience has forced us to. We’ve learned our lesson the hard way and never want the same situation to arise under any circumstances. If you’ve set a policy, stick to it. Be brave. Follow through. If your customer really needs your services, they’ll conform to your policy. If they don’t, you probably don’t need them. If a customer is causing some discomfort now, think about what might happen in the future. Remember that once a prospect becomes a customer, they could be with you for years. One little bite now can mean plenty of others later. Can you afford the money, time, and aggravation? I know I can’t.
THE SOLUTION
Let’s say that you’ve made an exception for a customer and suffered your first bite. You’re ready to contact your attorney. What’s next? Take a step back. After all, you want to get paid, without losing the customer’s future business. Send them a friendly letter stating that payment is now due and see what happens. If you don’t receive payment within a reasonable time, get your attorney involved and write off that customer to experience.
Are you making exceptions only to learn too late that you’ve been making mistakes? Before making your next exception, think about your very first one. Then think about it again. Was it worth the hassle?
If you make exceptions, expect the consequences when customers fail to live up to their part of the bargain. Try to get the issue resolved as soon as possible before cutting your losses. Follow this policy — no exceptions.