Business
never burn a bridge

never burn a bridge

Why should you always keep a good report?

with a business even when they are sharing roads?

It’s part of human nature to get angry and then rant and rave about what’s not going well at work. Many of us spend time gossiping and socializing with the main topic of what the problems are and who is responsible. While it may be a way to blow off steam, it’s not the way to win more business with a client. When a relationship is no longer working, always report your findings, give suggestions for resolving the problems, and walk away with a handshake. It is this professionalism that will earn you respect and possibly more business in the future. Remember that the business relationship must be preserved in order to move forward with other businesses. You don’t need to add skeletons to your closet, as you never know when someone you want to do business with will meet the client you just ended your relationship with.

Never burn a bridge is one of the hardest things to do in business. I have burned a few in the past and it has always come back to haunt me. I’ve made sure to say that things aren’t working out, let’s go our separate ways but stay friends. This may sound ridiculous, but at some point in the future, you will find yourself with that person in a position that has a direct influence on whether or not you are the company selected. If you have burned the bridge, you can be sure that the business will go elsewhere.

I know from experience. I worked for a person in the government where I had a contract to provide certain services; despite the fact that my work was exemplary, this “boss” kept changing what was wanted. As a result, I quit in frustration and let them know how I felt. It felt good at the time, but then a couple of years later I was bidding on a big training project, and to my horror, this same person was making the final decision. I didn’t get the business even though we had the best offer.

I think the worst of all was the egg on my face when I had gone to all the work of submitting a proposal. I had all my staff ready to go. Returning to the company and explaining that we lost the offer due to my past actions was not an easy task, but we all learned from it and believe me, I will do everything I can to maintain a relationship and quit the job.

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