Every business relies on someone else, whether it is customers, clients or partners. In this chicken-and-egg situation, its success depends on how it treats those vital elements.

For a customer, there is nothing worse than being let down by a business.

In a previous blog, I mentioned the problem of being let down by tradesmen who are understandably busy, but don’t return calls or keep appointments, and pick and choose the jobs they want to do. Hello to you again.

In the retail world, customers are left disappointed, frustrated and angry when something they have ordered and usually paid for is no longer available. This is particularly noticeable during lockdown, and raised its head again as people struggled to get their hands on PlayStation 5 and other must-haves for Christmas.

And being let down in business by suppliers and partners not only creates a problem for a company which is unable to fulfil its obligations, it also affects its reputation with customers, who have also been left disappointed.

The importance of reliability was brought home to me with one of my first clients. At a meeting in their office, they had to break off to take an urgent call from a supplier. I only heard half of the conversation, but my client repeatedly told his supplier that if they let him down, he would never work with them again. It was a message he reiterated and said that nearer the deadline, he didn’t want calls saying they would be late, or couldn’t complete the order in full. “I will never work with you again if you let me down” were his parting words as he ended the call.

I was wondering what I was getting myself into, but the client explained that the deal would increase sales by 50% but there were deadlines that couldn’t be missed. Not only would he lose out on the extra sales if he didn’t hit the deadline, he would be hugely out of pocket. And if the deal collapsed, it would be him dealing with the fallout, not the supplier.

I could understand his position - the huge amount of trust he was putting in his supplier and the need for the supplier to fulfil its commitments.

That scenario came to life recently when I was speaking with another client who had secured a partnership with a company to provide a service for customers. It was a good offer and the deal suited both parties in terms of value and referrals. But the third party always had a reason why they couldn’t fulfil their part of the bargain when the time came. They wanted to have their cake and eat it, and were too busy trying to lure in new clients to fulfil their existing commitments.

My client was left having to apologise to their customers and try to explain why they could not deliver what they had promised. The ties have understandably been severed but it was a problem they could have done without, especially in these difficult times.

In business – aside from contracts and legally binding agreements – your word has to be your bond. Customers and suppliers need to be able to trust and rely on you not only to deliver, but to treat them fairly and with respect.

If I was working with a client as part of a £5,000 deal, and someone came along offering a £25,000 deal, of course I would want to take it, but it could not be at the expense of the first client. My first commitment would have to be honoured and if I could make both work, fantastic, otherwise, I would have to turn down the more lucrative deal if I could not fully commit to it.

For a business to not only survive but to succeed, it has to honour its commitments and have a reputation for being reliable.

The fact that I was working with a client in the first place means that there was a connection between us and I could deliver what they needed me to do. If I let them down in favour of the bigger payday, they would never use me again, and that £5,000 deal – which could ultimately have turned into more – is gone and I wouldn’t be getting any recommendations from of them.