Broski: Reciprocity in Business: The Power of Patience and Respect

I recall a forum post from a shop owner who demanded perfection regarding his deliveries: he wanted parts either on time or ahead of schedule with no mix-ups, the correct parts every time, etc.

His complaints about parts issues were so over-the-top, some on the forum thought he just wanted to cause a stir. He assumed his complaints would make the situation better, but I saw it differently.

Take it in Stride

If my parts are late, they’re late. I can’t do anything about it. Complaining is not going to get them there on time. In most cases, I believe complaining only makes things worse in the future. Why would your parts person look out for you after you yelled at them? And considering the many variables that go into parts arriving in a timely fashion, it’s possible it wasn’t even the parts person’s fault to begin with. A glitch in the system, driver error, or traffic snarls all could slow down the process. Or maybe you called in your order and your salesperson forgot to hit the “send” button. These are all simple mistakes and we all make mistakes. But if you work with your parts person in these situations, they will take care of you in the future—especially if you need a favor.

This is not to say that you can’t speak up if something goes wrong. Of course you have you have to let your parts person know so they can minimize the chance of an error occurring again. But your delivery will make all the difference.

The same is true for you when you have to tell the customer their car is not going to be ready when you said it was. When you tell them the part didn’t arrive on time, you’ll be wondering if they figure that’s your go-to excuse—blaming someone else for the shop’s mistake. But if you’ve built trust and great customer relationships, your customers will take your word as coming from a good friend who wouldn’t lie to them.

The Blueberry Blunder

This reminds me of a similar situation that took place in a different industry: at a restaurant. I met a buddy for breakfast, and I ordered pancakes with blueberries on top. When the waiter set down my plate, I pointed out there were strawberries on top instead of blueberries. As the waiter stared at my plate, his energy dropped to zero. He was dejected knowing the cook would have to redo the whole order, not just scrape off the strawberries and put on blueberries. It also meant my buddy would eat the first part of his breakfast by himself while I watched and then I would eat part of my breakfast by myself while he watched. The waiter saw his tip flying out the window. And maybe he was concerned we would leave a bad review.

Instead, I told him I was initially debating whether I wanted blueberries or strawberries, so it was fine. His whole demeanor changed; he absolutely lit up. I could have demanded the blueberries but to what end? And you can bet the next time we went in, if not too much time had passed and he remembered us, we would be treated like kings.

It’s the same with your parts person. It’s a form of reciprocity.  If you take care of them when there’s a glitch, they will take care of you and treat you like a king or queen. I believe treating them well includes saying “please” and “thank you” when calling, emailing, or texting.

And the same goes for your parts person. If they do something special for you, tell their boss about it. You'll be the beneficiary of the recognition they get, and those compliments happen so rarely. I once gave a compliment, and the boss posted it to the whole West Coast team. That guy took even better care of me after that. Another compliment I gave turned into a training session at the health food store that I frequent to buy sandwiches. The new, young kid at the deli counter called me by my name after only my third visit.

The point is we’re all in this together, like a successful, winning sports team, where everyone gets along. Let’s treat each other accordingly.