One of my writing clients from WAHM Articles recently thanked me for my professionalism while working on her project. I appreciated her feedback and I'm glad it was a positive experience for her, but her comment got me thinking about what "professionalism" really is.
Truth be told, it really isn't difficult at all to look like a pro when things are going good. Basically, all you need to do is reply to emails and voicemails in a courteous, timely fashion, and complete the job you're being paid to do in the time frame you agreed to.
(If any of that sounds like a stretch for you, it may be time to reconsider your suitability for a service-based business.)
Yes, looking like a pro is easy when everything runs smoothly. It's when the train goes off the rails that your professionalism is put to its true test.
Because, whether due to technical failure, human error, or maybe the planets are just misaligned, eventually something will go wrong while you're working on a client project. And it's how you conduct yourself when that something goes wrong that shows whether you truly are a pro, or not.
When things look like they're going to be derailed, the first thing you need to do is take a deep breah and tell yourself:
"I am a professional."
One little mistake, or even a big one, does not make that statement less true. To the contrary - this is the perfect time to show what a consummate professional you are.
Then pick up the phone or pull out the keyboard and tell your client what's going on. Update your client as soon as you know there may be a problem with the project. This keeps the lines of communication open between you and your client. Any client worth his or her salt will appreciate your honestly.
Apologize for anything you may have done that led to this problem, and for anything that's not your fault. Take responsibility, even if it's not directly your fault, or your fault at all. After all, the client paid YOU to get the job done. Apologizing isn't going to make you look bad. What makes you look bad is trying to put the blame on someone or something else.
Then tell the client what you will do to fix the problem. You may want to give your client some options here so he can choose the one that meets his needs best.
Finally, take action on the course you agreed on. Get the job done, and do everything you can to keep the client happy, WITHIN REASON. There will always be people who are never happy, no matter what you do. If you have one of those, simply do your best and let it go. It's usually not worth killing yourself to satisfy them.
That's it - the test of a true professional. Could YOU pass?
2 comments:
Great post. I agree. The real test of our professionalism is when the stress level rises, and when we make a mistake. How do we handle it? Do you play the blame game or take responsibility and move on?
Patricia
It's tough to do sometimes though, isn't it?
When I wrote that post, I was thinking of one of my of my first client projects. It had a tight deadline, and I thought I had everything under control, but suddenly things started to go very wrong.
I was terribly upset, but I pulled myself together, called the client up and told her what was happening.
She appreciated the "heads up," and was able to get an extension on the deadline. I worked hard to get everything put together in time.
The client blew me away when she complimented me on my professionalism during the project. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting her to say! That painful experience taught me a lot about what clients want when they contract a VA, and how to keep them happy.
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