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Time to offer grace

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As the recession pounds on, it wears on people. Everyone is a little more uptight, a little more worried and as a result, perhaps a little more “me focused.”

That gets in the way of being capable of offering customers, co-workers and employees something very valuable: grace.

My definition? Simply offering support, forgiveness or comfort to people, whether they’ve earned it or not. In other words … cutting them some slack.

It’s more than turning the other cheek. It’s about assuming the best of everyone. It’s being empathetic about where they’re coming from. Meeting them where they’re at. It’s about choosing to give them the benefit of the doubt and being gentle.

It is acknowledging that they are human, in the humblest form.

Our clients and customers count on us to be their guide. They’re the experts in their fields, and they look to us to be their expert in ours. We’ve promised to show them how to get where they want to go.

Do clients always behave as we want them to? Do they always make the best decisions or react with the speed, amplitude or enthusiasm that we’d prescribe? Do they drop the ball? Or hand it off to the wrong person or team? Or forget about conversations about potential consequences and decisions made until there’s a problem?

You know the answers to all of those questions.

But here are the questions that truly matter: What was their intent? What was in their heart?

Hopefully when we slow down and ask those questions, it will be easy to offer our grace. I truly believe it’s a customer-retention tool every business needs to embrace.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2009 Drew McLellan