A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about Customer Service with examples of both good and bad.  The good example I used was Peter Montoya's office, which showed exemplary customer service when I notified them of an error in their email that may have cost them sales.

To "thank me for my time", one of their office staff (he may have been Mark...but I can't remember for sure) personally called me to thank me for calling the error to their attention and said Peter wanted to send a book as a thank you.  That certainly was a nice surprise, as I have two of Peter's books and now I'd be adding to my collection.  Showed great customer service for an existing customer and I became a raving fan.

Well, boys and girls, there's only one thing that is worse than bad customer service from the get-go. And that's promising your customer something and never following through. See, after "Mark" had promised to mail the book to me (even verifying my address), he started asking questions to steer me into their mentoring program.  We chatted for a bit, but it was not something I was interested in pursuing due to current project commitments.

This happened on the 5th of January. When the book hadn't arrived by the 31st, I sent a quick note to "Mark", reminding him of our converstion and letting him know it had never been received. Today is the 10th and I've yet to receive a response.

Have I changed my mind about doing business with this company?  You bet!  Here's what's interesting:  I was just being professional in notifying them that they had made an error that might have affected sales. I didn't expect anything in return. I would hope that someone would do the same for me in those circumstances. 

But, by promising something and not following through, Peter Montoya's company turned me from a raving fan into someone who would no longer trust my money with them.  Not only did I talk highly about their actions on this blog, but I personally told a number of business associates....many of whom went to Peter's site and purchased a book or two.

Peter's "gig" is personal branding.  He's very good at it.  But - now - when I hear his company name, "branding expert" is NOT the first thing that comes to mind!

Take a lesson from this. If you say you're going to do something, follow through. Whether it's keeping an appointment or delivering good on time, your reputation is on the line. Cause if you lose your credibility with a customer or prospect, it's usually gone forever.