3 Quick Ways To Kill Your Credibility

Naturally, I am very observant of people, especially those that are speaking to me from a position of leadership or authority. I learn from reading, but I also learn from watching other business owners in action. I follow influencers, read blogs, and take professional development courses. These activities are a portion of my day, every day. Although I get some great information, I also get the opportunity to learn some valuable business lessons. This article is a quick list of the biggest blunders I have witnessed so far, and I will use scenarios without too much identifying information to protect the guilty!

If you don’t know something, say it. Professional ad lib is not your friend.

This one should be a no-brainer, but unfortunately, I see this quite a bit when I am either in classes or participating in other forms of training. A short time ago, I was sitting in a project management webinar, and the host opened the floor for Q&A. A question was asked pertaining to marketing, and the teacher gave a few pieces of advice on the issue. His advice actually sounded awesome, however, we quickly learned that someone else in the class WAS an expert in an area because he actually challenged our teacher (GASP!). This created a very uncomfortable environment for the rest of us while the professional exchange went on for a few minutes. Honestly, I understand that as the teacher of the course you want to appear to be all-knowing. However, providing advice in an area that you are not truly knowledgeable in, can hurt your conversions.

Borrowing someone else’s work and claiming it as your own IS stealing.

We all love to consume articles that provide us with either insight or training. Truth be told, these articles help every professional out, especially small business owners. Although it can be tempting to build an information product empire on recycled google search results, please refrain from this practice. I have even seen apps out there that will source, and put together documents for you. In addition, I have seen some people get blasted online for doing this, and it will kill your credibility as a business owner. Another side-effect worth mentioning is that the internet influencers you are dying to connect with will avoid you like the plague. Once you are outed as a content thief no one will trust you.

If you say you are going to do something, follow through.

Word of mouth is a blessing and a curse. If a customer has a bad experience with your business, you can expect them to tell everyone about it. Failing to deliver on your promises is a prime example of bad customer service, and competition is entirely too steep to turn off your potential customers.

A quick recap.

If you don’t know something, please don’t claim that you do. Stealing someone’s work and claiming it as your own is a real jerk move. Finally, make good on your promises. Always show up and deliver, don’t be THAT business owner. As long as you follow the golden rule and work hard, your business should thrive. Best of luck on your small business adventure, and please, don’t be this type business owner.