It is important in business to build trusting relationships
– with prospects, customers, peers, vendors, etc. It is
important in all relationships to be honest and open.
Whatever you state to be true, make it happen. If anything
unexpected prevents you from meeting your commitment, then
be honest about that. Let people know that you need more
time or whatever it is to resolve the problem BEFORE you are
late.

The point is if you say Tuesday, and you can’t make it,
then Tuesday (or even Monday) let people know that you will
be late. Keep them up-to-date on your progress. Show some
respect. Wednesday, while it seems reasonable, is actually
late if you promised otherwise. It is not just about the
inconvenience this may have caused your partners, but more
about your word and whether you are to be trusted. It is
said that sometimes you can actually deepen people’s belief
in you by the way you handle errors.

They certainly won’t trust you as much as they did if they
wait, expecting you on Tuesday, but not hearing anything
from you. By Wednesday they already know that you didn’t
keep your promise – so now no matter what, you have that
little breach in their trust. You may have rushed yourself
by saying Tuesday as you thought this would please them –
but now it has backfired because you really did need more
time. So why not be honest in front – ‘Tuesday or
Wednesday’ is your estimated time of arrival; And note the
word ‘estimate’ – that leaves you some wiggle room because
you are not saying you absolutely commit to Tuesday.

Beyond personal business relationships there is the matter
of publishing statements as to promises of income, time,
support, etc. Again – don’t say it unless you mean it.
For example if you are using the strategy where some
super-duper opportunity is only valid for 48 hours, and you
decide to extend the offer, then state that. ‘We know we
told you 48 hours, but due to the overwhelming response, we
have decided to extend this offer for another 48 hours’.

The point is don’t leave your timer displaying ‘5 more
minutes left’ for the next 3 months. People won’t trust
you if you don’t keep your word – sure they will appreciate
in this case having extra time – but there are people who do
notice what are less than ingenuous statements. If you are
caught in this act too many times’ you will end up being
‘the boy who cried wolf’ that nobody believed anymore. An
online business is still a business. It may feel more
relaxed and it certainly is in many respects – however there
are certain things like your word that you need to
diligently uphold.

In the extreme this can actually become a legal issue for a
business. For example with ‘bait and switch’ – where the
promise is that something costs a certain amount and that
qualifies you to have specific abilities. However, after
the sale it is revealed that the level at which you paid
does not include critical elements and that you will need to
pay more in order to proceed. So it baited them with the
deal and then they switched the deal after the fact. This
same dynamic in reverse however would work well – if you
over-deliver – the deal is 10 for $10 but what they get is
15 for $10 to their delight! Keep it real!