Yesterday morning, two people asked to reschedule their calls due to family emergencies. So, I immediately thought that there is something wrong with my energy, vibration (you know, that 'we attract what we give, that our energy, vibration and mindset influence how things turn out').
Sounds familiar?
Sounds familiar?
And then, I thought about other instances when this happened, and started to wonder if I am doing something to attract such situation?
My husband, who is numbers and facts guy, a total opposite of my (emerging) spiritual and emotional self, stops me and reminds me that I serve moms in business. "Moms do have family emergencies to respond to, just think about how your days are going!" he said.
So, this made me think.
And I realized that there is another layer of my services that normally goes unnoticed, and is somewhat disconnected from reality. And sadly, I know for a fact that I am not the only one doing that, so this may be a nudge for all of us to consider.
✔ Business is a business, and not a hobby. Agreed.
✔ Business is to be taken seriously, with all the parties taking responsibilities to show up and deliver whatever was promised and expected. Yes.
✔ The more predictable things can be, the better, so that we can plan our lives around them. Sure.
✔ Our time is valuable and anyone disrespecting it shall pay. Absolutely.
✔ Don't budge, or they will take advantage. Got it!
But here's the tricky part.
That's exactly what my expectations are: to request calls at least 72 hours in advance, to cancel at least 24 hours in advance to avoid penalties,... And that's just a beginning.
So I wonder how many of us who are serving moms (parents) in business ever really thought about the terms we are offering, and then try to apply them to our own lives? I know it's been a while since I've done it...
I know that personally, with two little ones, life is pretty darn unpredictable, and that I do whatever I can to honor my commitments. However, I don't like it one bit when I am threatened with being penalized for responding to life emergencies. So from that, I can presume that my clients would feel the same...
Anyone else feel the same?
What can we do about it to still maintain the level of professionalism and in the meantime, be supportive, understanding and compassionate, and go beyond the "force majeure" clause in a contract? And it is not just about the policies, it expands way beyond that. For example: what forms of communication you support? What are your office
hours? What is your response time? How are your packages designed?
hours? What is your response time? How are your packages designed?
Something to think about, for sure.
