HELLO!
We're constantly learning in business, aren't we Friend?
I know that the 'squares' of Instagram might give the impression that I have my sh!t together all the time, but the truth is... I don't, like many of us.
I have many, many stories I can tell to illustrate. 😆
But I've chosen to share just one with you today.
Keep reading to learn about my $5,563.00 business mistake, in a nice form letter... that went like this...
"Dear Sir/ Ma'am. The Artini Resort has notified us that you did not check in/ out for your 25-nights booking today. You've been marked as a no-show and charged accordingly."...
The day before the Bora-bora Bali retreat (that I was hosting) kicked off, I was casually checking my work email while feeling calm and ready to Rick- n -roll ...the next marathon of a week.
But this email stopped me in my easy-breezy, Bali tracks.
"Hmmm... I cancelled all my other hotel bookings or do I thought. This email must be a mistake," on second thought. "I'll just quickly check my business credit card(s) – and bank just to confirm."
A few minutes later, my zen-like state had shifted to a mild state of manic Monday panic.
$5,563.00 worth!
That was the pending transaction sitting on one of my business credit cards.
No... no, no, NO.
( The denial set in. And it ain't a river in Egypt! )
Then the flurry of emails and replies were sent off ( "This must be a mistake, right???" ) and my bank -- "Bank of Canada" -- Bank of America, since it's their visa (the founders of visa), was called, to check and see about 'insurance' against such things as fraud, since it's a premium Visa account etc.
Then reality started to set in.
This was real. This was happening.
I HAD MADE A $5,563.00 BUSINESS MISTAKE.
Six (6) years into running my own business and at the peak of feeling "I got this business thing down, pat! 💪"... I had been brought back down to earth - to reality!!
( Bali always has funny lessons up its sleeves for me... I hate them in the moment and only come to 'appreciate' them after I leave. )
But surely a hotel couldn't charge an accidental ( or mistaken ) booking IN FULL for 2 rooms and 25 nights, plus deposit etc... just for a 'day-off' cancellation? At most sites, supposedly FREE! At That!
Could they!?
Could they!?
As it turns out, Booking.com totally allows this. 🙄 Time to go to Expedia's Hotels.com at least I get a day free for every 10 I book.
My mind raced to brainstorm any and all solutions.
The first order of business? Walk right over to the Artini Hotel & Resort, speak to a Mr. Steve, the Manager, and use all the new negotiation techniques I had just picked up from "Never Split the Difference," a book by Chris Voss ( highly recommend, btw ).
So the next morning, I dressed up in one of my nicest "please forgive me, I made a mistake!" outfits and took the "I'm a very apologetic tourist who made a stupid mistake" vibe and approach while keeping the "I will share this all over the internet including every review site possible" and goto the press ...tactic in my back pocket.
I walked up to the reservation desk and asked to speak to Mr. Steve, the Manager, as confidently as I could muster in that moment.
A few minutes ( and a lemon-lime drink, to take of the edge) later, I was greeted by a tall man with slicked-back moosed hair and a red silk ascot with a maroon silk blazer.
Mr. Steve likes his finer things, I thought.
"Miss, I reviewed Booking.com's policy and we have every right to keep the payment in full – without issuing any refund at all." to include the frequent guest credits...
GULP. This was already off to a rocky start.
*****
I'll pause this story here for now, but if you want to hear how the rest goes, hit reply with "MORE" so I know to share part 2 with you next week.
And if you want to learn how to run a business event WITHOUT making a $5,563 mistake, but instead *sell out* a 40-person event with just 2,000 Instagram followers... read this case study on Sara Christensen over on THE blog.
Sara is an example of a *smart* entrepreneur who rocked her fb/ Instagram relationships so hard, she sold over $50,000+ in event tickets – in a matter of weeks.
In the case study, she even shares five fb/ Instagram-specific strategies she used... that you can use in your business today.
Don't be like me... be like Sara. 😆 (Did I just say that out loud!?)
My thanks in advance for your attention, energy, time, trouble, and consideration.
P.S. Want to hear how this $5,563 business mistake ends for me?
➡️ Hit reply with "MORE" so I know to share part 2 with you next week. (I'll do that for you!)
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Hey, it's Elise! <hi@elisedarma.com>
Date: Sun, Sep 15, 2019 at 11:24 AM
Subject: that stupid $5,563 mistake I made
To: João <joaoa.dsilva2019@gmail.com>
From: Hey, it's Elise! <hi@elisedarma.com>
Date: Sun, Sep 15, 2019 at 11:24 AM
Subject: that stupid $5,563 mistake I made
To: João <joaoa.dsilva2019@gmail.com>
~ Elise Darma
P.S. Want to hear how this $5,563 business mistake ends for me?
➡️ Hit reply with "MORE" so I know to share part 2 with you next week.
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