Another Printing Disasters—and How to Avoid Them story…
Last week I fielded a few requests for referrals to good graphic designers, printers, and building contractors. As I described the vendors I recommended, I found myself saying, “These guys do what they say they will.” That’s high praise in my book.
The Stuckrath maxim
You see, I believe in the maxim handed down by my German-American grandfather, Kendall Stuckrath: “Your word is your bond.” No, he didn’t invent the maxim, but he did try to live by it. (He also seeded two generations of perfectionists while he was at it, but that’s another story!)
Granted, nobody is perfect, darn it, and I for one have felt sheepish when I haven’t been able to keep a promise for one reason or another.
But I’ll bet that 99% of the time, most of us who provide a professional service knock ourselves out to make good on our word and refrain from making promises we can’t keep.
A designer friend and I talked about this just today. “That’s why parents tell their kids, ‘we’ll just have to see,’” he commented.
As the tables turn
A copywriter friend once advised me, “It doesn’t matter where you work next in advertising, it matters how you work. After all, you’ll see us all again.” She was so right! Former fellow employees became vendors, supervisors became clients, and co-workers became hiring managers.
Nobody can foretell which side of the bargaining table they’ll be sitting on in future business interactions. So when power relationships shift—as they inevitably do—and we find ourselves seated on a different side of that table than we were before, I am convinced that being regarded as people who keep our word can only help our prospects and yield great referrals.
Well we all shine on,
Like the moon and the stars and the sun,
Yeah we all shine on,
On and on and on on and on.
– John Lennon, from “Instant Karma”
Story © 2010 Nani Paape
8 comments
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August 5, 2010 at 9:34 am
Rock Langston
It’s the simple things we can do in business that really make the biggest difference. Keeping one’s word would be at, or near, the top of the list, no matter the type of business. So, guess I need to get back to work so I can deliver today as promised! Thanks for the straight up reminder!
August 5, 2010 at 9:41 am
naniprints
Hello Rock, Thank you for visiting the blog and for your comments. I know what you mean; I’m needing to hustle here today to fulfill a few promises myself! ~Nani
August 5, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Debbie
…and the ones who don’t stand up to their word (or at least try) may, indeed, find themselves in need of new customers to replace the ones they lost.
August 5, 2010 at 4:35 pm
naniprints
Hi Debbie, yes indeed, you’ve got that right! Thanks for stopping by. I’ve enjoyed your recent blog posts, BTW. ~Nani
August 5, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Anza Evans
Perfectly put…integrity is the key…in biz and life! Good karma to you Nani!
August 5, 2010 at 6:53 pm
naniprints
Thanks, Anza! Good karma to you, too, my friend! ~Nani
August 31, 2010 at 6:52 am
Bruce Colthart (@bccreative)
Thanks for the articulating and reminding me of that maxim. I expect to live and die by it myself. As a one-man graphic design shop, that’s [one reason] why I stress at feast times in the [varying degrees of] feast/famine cycle: my promise is supremely important, as my business’s name and my own are one in the same. Like the “How’s my driving? – call 800…” stickers on trucks (granted, which I’ve never called) it’s a very worthwhile public declaration of responsibility. And that’s an exercise for everyone, especially young employees buried deep in large companies, and my teenage kids.
August 31, 2010 at 7:02 am
naniprints
Hello Bruce, Thanks so much for your reflections. I agree, when you and your business share the same name, it makes separating personal and business ethics impossible. I think this is a good thing, myself. (Back when I had an earlier business called Steps, a friend of mine used to joke that “Steps R Us!”).
One thing that spurred this article was seeing so many of my talented, highly experienced unemployed friends apply for job after job without receiving the most basic courtesy of a “thank you for your application” email or note—or a personal phone call with the upshot after they came in for an in-person interview. We can only hope that one day those folks will find themselves sitting on the other side of the hiring table, experiencing the same thoughtless treatment they so casually doled out to others. What goes around does indeed come around. ~Nani