I’ve always been a promoter of speaking your “honest truth.” Over time, I’ve learned that it’s the foundation for trusted relationships.
Yet, many of us still struggle to apply it to business situations. We’re concerned about being vulnerable or losing others’ consideration.
Speaking your “honest truth” takes a leap of faith, but the outcome can be rewarding.
So, let me explain what I mean here and share a fascinating story that happened to me while selling some items on eBay.
I like to sell my unused items on eBay. The money earned doesn’t make much difference, but what does is that eBay, like similar sites, is a fantastic study in human psychology. Handling transactions on eBay, observing people’s reactions in an auction, and seeing what they were the most sensitive to in their reviews is priceless.
Now, here’s what happened recently:
I was casually selling an audio recording kit I purchased two years ago for my online training and web videos. The kit was in an auction with a starting price of $59. I got two bidders, and it sold one week later for $69.
Nothing extraordinary! Then, the situation became interesting.
When I received the transaction success message from eBay, I had forgotten entirely about this sale. Here I was, on a two-week trip, hundreds of miles away from the package I had to send to the successful bidder promptly.
How embarrassing. What should I do? I decided to take a factual approach and sent the following message:
“I just got informed that you are purchasing this Recording Kit from me.
First of all, thank you very much for your order.
I’ll be happy to ship it to you ASAP, BUT I wanted to let you know I just had to leave for a trip and won’t be back before November 14th. I can then ship the item to you.
You might want to hold payment until then”.
The response I got gave me a few more clues about what mattered to my buyer. He informed me that he had initiated the payment anyway and expected the order to be fulfilled on time and as specified in the listing.
He referenced the eBay rules that I should have been in “Time Away” mode. But he also stated he’d be delighted to leave me a positive review on eBay and social media forums once he’d received the items on time and in the specified condition.
How is that for a mix of facts and subtle intimidation?
I couldn’t blame him; he was in his own right. Yet, I had no way to ship the kit on time. I decided to speak my “honest truth” and offer an exit scenario:
“Yes, I’ve seen that eBay is processing your payment. Thanks for that.
As I indicated in my previous messages, I can ship the goods upon return from my trip.
I understand that this doesn’t meet the initial terms and that you might voice your disappointment more publicly. I’ll accept that; it’s my responsibility, and I messed it up.
If this delayed shipment is unacceptable, tell me if you’d rather cancel the transaction”.
Here I was, taking responsibility and exposing my vulnerability. Yet, slightly surprisingly, I noticed a change of tone in my buyer’s response just minutes after I sent my message:
Thanks for your response. I want to honor the transaction and look forward to receiving the items in the purchase.
Please ship the order as soon as you can; perhaps a sudden change of plans could occur, which could bring you home sooner than expected.
Have fun, and make the most of the weekend!
Weeks later, I shipped the kit to the buyer upon my return. I still felt terrible, so I added an extra microphone to the package to compensate for the delay.
End of story.
Or so I thought!
A few days later, an expected message took me by surprise. It was my buyer’s review on eBay:
“!!!! A+ Terrific communication, items as expected. Above and beyond what is normally expected from a seller. Thanks, Tanguy”!
What had started as a potentially catastrophic situation resulted in the best review I have received on eBay so far!
Did the extra microphone in the box help? Quite probably.
Did my “honest truth” and exposed vulnerability cause that unexpected positive turn in my buyer’s attitude?
I believe it did, but I’ll let you judge.
My takeaway is that speaking your “honest truth” and not being afraid of exposing your vulnerability, as tricky as it might be, is a game-changer in any interaction.
We need more of it in today’s world, not less.