One of the more difficult concepts to grasp in marketing and customer relations is the idea that most people don’t really care if you make mistakes. No matter what business you’re in, you or your employees are going to do something wrong. Waitstaff are going to bring a customer the wrong sandwich. Auto mechanics are going to misdiagnose a problem with your car. Your cable or wireless phone provider is going to overcharge you. We’re all human. It happens.

But while you’re busy beating yourself up over the error – or worse denying it happened – your customers are just waiting to see how you’re going to rectify the issue.

Contrary to some opinions, you don’t lose customers by making mistakes. You lose customers because you don’t go that extra mile to ensure that even a customer who has experienced an error walks away with a smile and the knowledge that you recognized and acknowledged the issue and did everything you could to make it right.

See, customers want to be loyal. They like to have a favorite restaurant. They want to be able to recommend a mechanic to their friends. They don’t want to have to change mobile phone providers every six months. What they want is to believe that their business is important to you. And there’s rarely a better chance to show them that than when you’re trying to make things right.

So, here are a few tips on how to deal with a mistake:

• Acknowledge the mistake – Okay, you and the customer both know a mistake was made. Don’t make excuses, don’t try to blame it on someone else. Just acknowledge that it happened and then you can …
• Take responsibility - Just acknowledging the mistake isn’t enough. You need to own up to it and let the customer know that you know you need to make it right. It’s important to be sincere. You don’t want to appear like you’re just going through the motions. And that brings us to the point where you should …
• Apologize - It amazes me how hard it is for some people to just utter the words, “I’m sorry.” It’s like expressing regret is a form of weakness or will expose you to some risk of being sued. Get over it. Most of us learned early on that when you do something wrong, you should apologize. It applies in business, too. And, it’ll make your mother proud, which is a nice bonus.

The apology phase is where you can really take it to the next level. Offer to reduce the price of the service, or, in the face of a particularly bad mistake, offer the service on the house. Or, offer something free or at a reduced rate on their next visit. Any money you’ll lose will be made up in keeping a customer rather than losing one who is unlikely to return and will, most likely, make sure their friends hear about their horrible experience.

Mistakes are going to happen. Don’t sweat it. But when they DO happen, treat your customers as you’d want to be treated: with respect. Act as though their business and satisfaction truly matter to you, because they do.