I’m not going to lie. I have a hard time admitting when I’m wrong. But I’m not alone. Most people don’t like admitting they’re wrong. Pride is a tough thing to swallow, and we’ll go to any lengths to justify our mistakes and to pass the blame to someone else.
The problem is that this doesn’t fly in business. If your company makes mistakes and doesn’t admit them and apologize for them, you’re going to lose customers, employees, the respect of the media…you’re going to lose everything.
The fact is that admitting your mistakes isn’t a weakness. In fact, owning your mistakes can actually help your business grow and gain favor with your audience. Here’s how:
- Every mistake gives you a chance to learn—Whenever you screw up, you have a great opportunity to learn what you did wrong and to make the necessary changes to improve and ensure it never happens again. It’s important that you have a plan for change and that you outline that plan whenever apologizing for your mistakes so that your audience will have a reason to trust you again going forward.
- People want to forgive—The truth is that America is a forgiving nation. People are forgiving by nature. You can earn the forgiveness and respect of your customers, but you have to be willing to admit you’re wrong and to issue a sincere apology. Sincere is the key word here. Your audience will know if your apology is canned and forced. Be yourself and let your honesty shine through in your apology.
- Admitting mistakes humanizes your company—Consumers are more skeptical of companies than ever before, and for good reason. Time and time again, companies treat consumers poorly, employ shady tactics, and just don’t act in a decent manner. That’s why it’s so important to humanize your company…to give customers something they can connect with and trust. Admitting your mistakes and sincerely apologizing humanizes your brand and can be helpful in growing relationships with your customers.
Do you have a hard time admitting you’re wrong? Has it hurt your business? Share your experiences by commenting below!
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of 8 Shocking Secrets Press Release Distribution Firms Don’t Want You to Know here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/secrets-pr-firms-dont-want-you-to-know/