Technology is amazing. Except when it isn’t.
I do a lot of interviews for copywriting projects like case studies and white papers and I record the conversations using an online conference call service. When a call is complete, I simply download the mp3 file and email it to my transcriptionist.
This process is a huge improvement over the “olden days” when I used to hook a small micro-cassette recorder up to a landline telephone and then physically deliver the tiny tape to the transcriptionist.
My conference call service is super easy to use, has great customer service and, in three years, I’ve never had a problem with the system. But recently, a case study interview failed to record. (I realize later that it was my error and now that I can monitor the recording online while on a call so this will never happen again.)
This was an interview with an important client of an important client, and when I realized I had no record of it, I broke out in hives. (The really itchy kind that requires multiple doses of Benedryl to control.)
The Best Case Scenario
After spending an entire weekend drowning my sorrows in chardonnay and fretting over how to tell my interview contact that I wasted his time (while imagining all kinds of worst-case-scenario reactions from him), I picked up the phone on Monday morning and blurted out the bad news. I explained what happened, truthfully stated that this has never happened before and apologized repeatedly. (Sidenote: never deliver bad news via email. While your voice can convey your sincere remorse, email can’t.)
Imagine my relief when the contact said, “Well, I’m sure this won’t be the worst news I get this week. I guess we’ll have to do the interview again.” We scheduled another interview date for later that week. Tragedy was averted.
I re-did the case study interview this morning and it actually turned out better than the original. Armed with the knowledge from the first interview, my questions were more direct and the contact’s answers were more concise. Plus, a recent development on the client’s side added a great anecdote to the story that the earlier interview didn’t capture.
Falling on Your Sword
When something goes wrong in your life or your business, take responsibility for it and apologize to the injured party in the most sincere way possible. Don’t make excuses like a teenager that just missed curfew. And don’t blame someone else for the issue.
When you take responsibility for a problem by falling on your sword, an amazing thing happens. The other person will come to your rescue because it’s human nature to help others who are in pain. Excuses and blame, on the other hand, put people on the defensive and makes them question your integrity. (If teenagers would learn this early on, they would spend a lot less time on restriction.)
But falling on your sword does not mean berating yourself to someone else. If you repeatedly say something like, “I’m so stupid for letting this happen!” you might convince the other person that, yeah, you are. Instead, apologize emphatically for the inconvenience and ask if there’s any way you can make the situation better.
More often than not, the person will suggest a work-around (like my interview contact offering to schedule another interview). On occasion, however, the situation won’t be salvageable. If this happens, know you did your best to correct the issue and then let it go. Even if that means losing a client.
Perfection is Overrated
People aren’t perfect, and sometimes things happen that suck. As a copywriter and fallible human, you will make mistakes. When this happens, fall on your sword. Most of the time, you’ll be saved. But once in a while, you’ll be left to bleed out. Either way, get over it and move on.
Copywriter Confession: Falling on your sword is actually a sales tactic used at the company I used to work for and was often used to manipulate prospects. I don’t use the tactic for this purpose and don’t recommend that you do either. As a small business owner, your integrity is everything. In the long run, sincerity will serve you better than deceit.
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