Don’t take prisoners. Release them. Always. In business, things go wrong. And when they do, we like to mull over why. It’s just being human. Some of us worry more than others, but on the whole, we all worry at least a little.
Those worries are the real enemy. They will break you down if you let them. If you really want more stress in your life, just go find some more worries to capture.
On the other hand, you could free them as soon as they happen (obviously, the problem will need sorting, but it’s the blame game I’m really talking about here).
If someone crosses you, and your philosophy is that you’ll never talk to people who cross you again – ever. Then you have a serious “business crushing” and soul-destroying problem.
Every bit of energy we waste chasing the past is one bit of energy we could have used for the future.
Instead of sending a follow up email that starts “Hi, I sent you an email a couple of days ago, and haven’t heard anything back yet. Just checking in to see if everything is OK and if you’d still like to go ahead.”, write: “Hi, I forgot to mention we’re doing this amazing thing this Wednesday and wondered if you’d like to join us. Just hit reply or call me and I’ll send the tickets.”. Or: “Hi, This Wednesday we’re doing something amazing. I’d love you to be there. Just reply or call me and I’ll get you on the VIP list”.
It doesn’t matter if someone has seriously peeved you off, if they’re really important to your business then you must forget the past (if they’re a complete scumbag, you won’t be writing to them anyway, but whatever it is, never ever ever hang on to the past).
PS. This is a bit of a rant about a method advocated by the “lead magnet, trip-wire, upsell/downsell, ascension” brigade of IM gurus. Making people feel guilty does, of course, work. Like shaming people, it has always worked. But is it a heroic thing to do? The villains out there don’t care as long as they make another buck whatever the cost in human terms.