Tell me, mama, have you ever been worried that you’d make a mistake on a project?

Have you ever worked on something, sent it off to the client, and found yourself thinking, “What if I screwed up? What if they hate it?”

Let’s dig in on that for a moment, Mama.

You probably didn’t set out to do a bad job. Maybe you were also juggling sick kids, #snowpocalypse2019, unanticipated visitors, or just general life stress. It’s possible that just this once, you didn’t do your best work.

Now it’s also entirely possible that you’re letting Imposter Syndrome get the best of you, and that the client will come back delighted with the work.

But, for the sake of argument, let’s say that this one time, you messed up. The client comes back unhappy.

Now what?

Well, first of all, keep things in proportion. Yes, you messed up, but no one is going to die, because you’re not performing brain surgery on anyone. Countries will not go to war over your errors. A little perspective.

Next, it’s time to take action. Your client is unhappy? It’s on you to make it right. And that starts with an apology.

Here’s what you don’t want to do: Don’t start making excuses for why the work was late, or wrong, or whatever. Instead, accept responsibility and apologize without excuses.

I’m sorry. You’re right — I made a mistake.

Picture this, Mama. Your husband forgets your birthday, and you are FURIOUS.

You’re standing there in the kitchen, arms crossed, foot tapping, and in walks the man himself, and the first thing he says is —

“I’m sorry. I really screwed up by forgetting your birthday.”

It… kinda disarms you. I mean, yes, you can say, “YEAH YOU DID!” but his apology does something to all that anger inside you. You can feel it dissipate.

If you make a big mistake on a client project, don’t wait to be caught. Get in front of it, and apologize sincerely and specifically.

Not “I’m sorry you feel that way.” (Please. Would you let your kids get away with that?)

“I’m sorry I delivered late.”

“I’m sorry I put the wrong link in that email you sent to 10,000 potential customers.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t create the extra two pages we agreed on.”

And then, figure out how you’re going to make it right. That might mean redoing the work on your own time (and dime) or refunding money or providing an extra service for no extra charge.

In the long term, this kind of willingness to make things right stands out. You may salvage the relationship and win a place in the client’s heart forever.  

Most people won’t cut you loose for making a mistake. They will drop you if you don’t seem to care about the mistake. But if you show up ready to fix it and make it right, that’s what they’ll remember.

By the way, thinking through what you would do in this scenario is a great exercise. When you know what action you would take if necessary, you’ll be able to go after clients with more confidence. So much of our fear comes from the unknown — the idea of “What if they hate it?” Well, Mama, what if they do? What will you do then?

If you take the time now to figure out your next steps, you’ll be ahead of the game.

You got this, Mama.

Now get out there and ROCK the work for your clients.

P.S. Want to feel more sure of yourself around clients? Check out these episodes ALL ABOUT clients on Free Mama TV!