If you are a service/product provider you will sometimes get feedback from the people who use your service/product and even from those who have said "no I am not interested", the feedback maybe solicited or otherwise. Why is it important to have this feedback? In my opinion, it is important because it enables us to correct a mistake, improve a product/service as well as learn and grow.
I recently turned down a service because I felt it was not a fit for Ethnic Supplies and my reasons were that it would take away resources from Ethnic Supplies. Anyway I didn't hear from these people again until I was asked to provide feedback so that "they can best improve their services" fair request I thought. My response "Unfortunately what you have to offer is not a fit for Ethnic Supplies and besides I cannot justify the expense" The reaction I got cannot be repeated here, but it reinforced my prior judgement.
The question my volunteer and I were then faced with should we react to this, or let it go. We decided that it could lead down a path that we didn't want to go and as time is one of those resources we have very little of, we could not afford to waste anymore of it on this.
You are probably wondering why then I am spending time writing about it?
Well I wondered if there was a lesson there that I couldn't decipher since it's my understanding that not everyone we approach with whatever our offering happens to be will be interested?
Questions is
How do you define resources in your line of work?
If your answer is money, would you spend it on something you didn't need?
If you are a man please don't say your wife/girlfriend spends money on shoes and bags she doesn't need, as you don't know that for sure
1 comment:
Ida,
Feedback is a BIG area and very important.
In this case you were offering it and that is great. The way it is done can certainly affect how and if the message is heard or acted on. I guess one way of getting your message over is by not giving them the thing they wanted, your custom. However, they probably have a story about this that casts them as the heroes and presumably you as the villain.
Here is a link
It isn't your job, or apparently a good use of your resources, to educate these people. On the other hand who knows what the impact of them changing might be...
I regard my time and my money as key resources, but also what I know, but I can be generous with that one. Who I know is another one.
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