10 FREE Ways to Be More Reliable

July 12, 2016 / in General Information, How To / by Mic Johnson

Post written by Mic Johnson, Blog Coach | LinkedIn Trainer | WordPress Website Guy | Rational Optimist | Jayhawk | Sushi Lover | @MJMeetings Husband

One of the things I list about myself in the Summary of my LinkedIn Profile reads as follows:

☑ Reliable – I do what I say I’ll do. EVERY TIME. I don’t drop balls.

I take great pride in this characteristic and, for the longest time, I thought everyone was that way. To this day, I still don’t understand how someone can look you in the eye (or the “electronic eye” via email, text, etc.), tell you that they’re going to do something, and then NOT DO IT.

When did doing what you say you’re going to do…being accountable to yourself and to others….become negotiable?

Now obviously life and business can get in the way sometimes, so there will always be justified exceptions. But if you don’t do the following 10 FREE things already, I challenge you to be better going forward. It will only help you, your friends, your family, your prospects and your clients:

1. Show up to meetings on time…or a few minutes early. This one really should go without saying. Be respectful of people’s time. If you’re going to be late, call or text and let the other party know.
2. Make introductions. If you told someone you’re going to introduce them to someone else in your network, do it promptly and professionally. Make sure both parties know why the introduction is being made and how it may benefit them.
3. Send proposals promptly. If you talk to someone about your product or service and they ask for a proposal, don’t make them wait for it. We typically get proposals out in 24 hours or less. If that’s not possible for you, then set the expectation with the person you’re sending the proposal to.
4. Reply to emails in a timely manner. I generally respond to all emails the same day I receive them. That isn’t always possible for everyone, but responding within 24 hours should be manageable.
5. Return phone calls in a timely manner. I take the same approach to phone calls as I do to emails. Keep in mind…this isn’t because I’m some organizational wizard. It’s because I respect other people’s time and I don’t want to be the one holding something up.
6. Follow up on referrals. If you’re lucky enough to have people in your network who take their time to refer you, you owe it to them to follow up with referrals quickly and professionally. If someone refers me, with few exceptions, I will contact the person they referred me to the same day, even if that’s to set up a time later to talk or meet.
7. Follow up with the person who referred you. Follow up with the person who referred you. Again, if you’re lucky enough to have people in your network who take their time to refer you, follow up with them too. Not just at the time of the referral, but keep them in the loop in the process and let them know how it turned out.
8. Get the work done on time. If you tell someone that you’ll have something to them by a certain date, do it. If you can’t get the work done on time, notify them and make sure that it’s the exception rather than the rule.
9. If you have to reschedule an appointment with someone, give them ample notice. We’ve had situations where we’ve had an entire day blocked off on our calendars for weeks to work on a website project and then received a call the day before saying they need to reschedule. That’s time we could have scheduled with other clients. Obviously emergencies, etc. happen, but outside of that, always be respectful and courteous of people’s time.
10. If someone invites you to something, respond…even if you can’t make it or aren’t interested. My wife and I have an annual Prairie Village Art Fair Party at our house. We send out an Evite where people can select Yes, Maybe or No. This past year there were probably 20-30 people who didn’t take a minute to respond. Think about that. We took the time to think of them and invite them and they couldn’t do us the courtesy of responding. Whether it’s something for your business or personal life, there are no excuses for not responding to someone who took the time to invite you to an event.

What other things do you do to be reliable to people in your life? What experiences have you had where someone wasn’t reliable? How did it impact you?

To learn more about how Blue Gurus can help you with blogging, LinkedIn or a new WordPress website, call or email me at 913-645-6650 or mic@bluegurus.com.