DO CUSTOMERS ACCUSE YOU OF BEING DEPENDABLE? By Rick Boxx A friend recently told me story after story about suppliers who had disappointed him in his new commercial venture. (He was opening a new retail business.) Some of these suppliers were incompetent, others bordered on being deceptive, but most were unreliable. In any new venture, time can be your enemy. You can't lay carpet until the painting is done, and you can't paint until the drywall is finished. Each event is somehow connected to the next stage in the project. If any one person doesn't show up, or doesn't finish on time, the whole project can be pushed back dramatically. Such was the case for my friend, Jim. "If people would have done what they promised," said Jim, "the business would have opened in three months instead of seven." Four additional months of rent was a costly price Jim to pay for the unreliability of others. Many people will honor their vow on the price they quote for services, but then completely ignore their promise regarding the time it is to be completed. Intentions are usually good, but they over-promise and under-perform. In Numbers 30:2, God commanded, "When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said." Are you doing everything you said? If not, maybe you are not taking your vows seriously enough. Try avoiding problems on the front end by being cautious when you commit to a time. Usually the customer is less concerned with which time you tell them, and more concerned with getting it done according to the schedule you promised. If you do run into unexpected difficulties, re-estimate a reasonable time frame and, as promptly as possible, communicate the reason for the change with your customer. In many industries, if you show up on time, and finish on time, you will have more business than you can handle. Dependability will speak volumes about your integrity and the integrity of your business. Copyright 2001, Integrity Management, Inc. Reprinted with permission from "Integrity Moments with Rick Boxx," a weekly commentary on issues of integrity in the workplace.