Time and the Decay of Importance

You messed a job up. Badly. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Naturally, the client is furious. You are just sick about the whole thing. It affects your sleep.

The next day …

You have news regarding the reprint. A call you dread making, but you pick up the phone and dial the client. Here goes…

From the moment the customer picks up the phone and starts talking, you sense a complete shift has happened. Gone is the anger in her voice. You deliver the news and she actually thanks you!

Hanging up the phone, you sit at your desk, incredulous at what just happened.

Time not only heals all wounds, but it has a melting effect on the upset client as well. What was incredibly important and frustrating yesterday has been replaced by a more understanding tone.

Looking back, I bet you can come up with numerous situations that seemed catastrophic in the moment but turned out to be a minor inconvenience.

Let that be a lesson to you…

Things are almost never as important as they first seem.

Do not overreact. Let the client kick and scream and shout and take none of it personally. Remain professional and solve the immediate problem. There will be plenty of time later to figure out whose fault it was and what needs to be done in order for it to never happen again.

Importance, urgency, and anger all decay overtime.

Speaking of time, check out Bill’s Time Management Masters workshop this Wednesday by joining The Sales Vault at BillFarquharson.com