Are You Making This Mistake In Business?

Hey, how's it going? Time change tonight. I for one wished they would just leave that stuff alone and just have it be the same time all the time. All that switching the clocks around. But that's me.

Anyway, a friend of mine who runs a multimillion-dollar business online had a deal with somebody. They were going to do a joint venture of some kind, and apparently it fell through. And it makes me wonder how someone who's playing at that level is going to flake out.

And you know, that's a big hassle that I've had with lots of people over my entire life. The fact is, people are flakes. They don't do what they say they're going to do. They do not follow through on things. They drop the ball left and right, and you're left trying to figure out what to do because it's like the whole thing falls apart.

And I don't know if you've noticed this, but if... I hope you're not one of those people. But here's the thing. There's this book called The Four Agreements, and the first agreement in the book is be impeccable with your word, and what that means is to have integrity and to do what you say you're going to do. You don't do what you say you're not going to do, and you take your word very seriously. If something's going to happen, you make it happen. If I were on my way... If I told somebody that I was going to be somewhere at a given time, and I don't care if I had a freaking car accident and had to get my leg set, I would still show up with wet plaster on my leg. Because if there's one thing, I cannot stand, is someone who flakes out, that does not keep their word. And it's the most basic way of keeping your word.

This comes straight from the man himself, Dan Kennedy, and he talks about this. If you don't respect your time enough to show up on time for a meeting or anything, and you're totally disrespecting that other person's time, you have zero credibility at that point. You have a meeting, you don't call. You don't show up, and that person's left thinking, "Well guess what? You're just another flake."

And whether you like it or not, you will be considered just another flake until you prove yourself otherwise. Which means getting to where you're supposed to be on time and doing what you said you were going to do. And it doesn't matter what it costs you. It may cost you time. It may cost you money. Say you make a deal with somebody and you say, "Well, this is going to happen." And it doesn't happen because you dropped the ball somehow. And let's say in order to make things right, you've got to cover a $375 bill.

Well, guess what? That is yours. Own It and pay it and learn the lesson. That's telling you next time, plan better or promise less. It's just the way things are, and if you're not the type of person that keeps their word, no matter what, just don't go into business, any kind of business at all. It doesn't even matter.

Even if you're just selling stuff on eBay, those people that are dependent on you to put that stuff in the mail within 48 hours or whatever it is, and get it to them. So do that. And guess what? If the thing gets lost, give them their money back. Even if you didn't lose it. Even if it's not your fault. It doesn't matter because you're the one making the deal.

Stick to your word. Do what you say you're going to do. You show up on time. And you never, ever let someone be able to say that you flaked out and you're not trustworthy. That'll kill you faster than anything. All right?

That's what I got for today. Hope you're having a great day wherever you are.

I will talk to you tomorrow. I'm out.

For more good business sense, and how to build the foundation for your business so it'll last, head on over here.

Just get there on time. Nobody likes a slacker.