I have a hard time saying “no” in business. Perhaps you do, too. I think it is more common than we think, especially for those who are empathetic. We just hate the thought of letting a customer down. We think that fulfilling customer needs is a positive trait every transportation company must possess. Consequently, we may get frustrated when someone says they can’t do something for us.

It took me a while to realize where this way of conducting business was taking me. Luckily, I came across the following quote from William Ury that changed my way of thinking:

“Saying no has always been important, but perhaps never as essential skill as it is today.”

It made me think. I realized all my “yes’s” meant I was over-committed, shortchanging my business relationships, and unable to do my best work.

I bet you can relate.

The Times Are A-Changin’

Just about 15 years ago, our industry was completely different. Emails were used but, to most, phone calls were a more convenient way of communication. Without relying on technology, everyone had to rely on each other. Consequently, relationships were stronger and, in general, industry-mates more reliable.

Today, we are facing dramatic changes whether it is new government rules, technology, or company mergers. It has certainly become harder to acquire new clients. Big companies are growing stronger, while small ones are trying to survive in the shark tank. Employees are encouraged to say “yes” to every opportunity that comes their way. With this comes over-promising, manipulating and sometimes even lying to customers, to keep or win business. The end result? Saying “no” to a customer has, to many, become an example of failure.

Conducting business this way has resulted in massive over-promising and under-delivering. If we look more closely, the root of almost every issue is saying yes when no would be a better answer. An example is when the driver is late for a delivery. This happens when one or multiple parties involved in moving a shipment agree to all requirements, without confirming they can be met. It can be a miscommunication between a dispatcher and driver, broker and dispatcher or even a broker and customer. Worse, often we don’t analyze the problem thoroughly and repeat the same mistake, over and over again.

At my company, Virnich Corporation, after concluding how being “Yes Men” was negatively affecting our business relationships with clients over the long run, we decided we need to change. We immediately told our clients that we would only focus on expedited and tradeshow shipments, our core area of expertise from the first day in this industry. That single change improved our focus, resulting in improved customer service. That has become and remained our main priority.

Now, what does focus have to do with improving customer service?

Like with anything else in business, when we are full of distractions, our customers suffer. Like when we work on multiple shipments of different natures at the same time. Would you agree doing this is when we’re most likely to make a mistake which can cost our customer money, not to mention nerves?

Not Busy, Focused

Busy is good, don’t get me wrong, but we need to be just busy enough so we can stay focused. Not so busy that we’re scattered. Just think how many times we’ve spent hours trying to cover a shipment we hadn’t felt confident about in the first place, that did turn out to be a complete mess? So, we invested our time and didn’t provide a good service. That failure could (and often does) set us back for success. Our time could have been better invested in an area where we really shine, earning us repeat business and a referral or more, too!

So, how do we stay focused?

We have to be honest with ourselves about what we can handle with excellence and what we cannot. This will help us pay attention to details, which results in providing exceptional service. We might feel we are leaving money on the table when we say no, but, in doing so, we’re growing a stronger relationship with our clients. This the best way of earning more business. It is a slower but more rewarding path.

Homework for the week: “Check-in” with yourself to see if you should say “yes” or “no”.

That should be enough food for thought for now. Stay tuned for Part 2.