Fwd: "MORE" 'bout that stupid $5,563 mistake I made... next week

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 business mistake, 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-night booking today. You've been marked as a no-show and charged accordingly."

The day before the Bali retreat (that I was hosting) kicked off, I was casually checking my work email while feeling calm and ready to rock 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. This email must be a mistake," I thought. "I'll just quickly check my business credit card(s) – 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.)

Then the flurry of emails were sent off ( "This must be a mistake, right???" ) and my bank in Canada was called etc.

Then reality started to set in.

This was real. This was happening.

I HAD MADE A $5,563 BUSINESS MISTAKE.

6 years into running my own business and at the peak of feeling "I got this business thing down! 💪"... I had been brought back down to earth.

( 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 booking IN FULL for 2 rooms and 25 nights... just for a 'day-off' cancellation? At most sites, supposedly FREE! At That! Could they!?

As it turns out, Booking.com totally allows this. 🙄

My mind raced to brainstorm any and all solutions.

The first order of business? Walk right over to the Artini hotel, speak to 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" outfits and took the "I'm a very apologetic tourist who made a stupid mistake" approach while keeping the "I will share this all over the internet including every review site possible" 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) later, I was greeted by a tall man with slicked-back hair and a red silk ascot and maroon 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."

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 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 Instagram-specific strategies she used... that you can use in your business today.

Don't be like me... be like Sara. 😆

Read how this entrepreneur sold $50,000+ worth of event tickets — with just 2,000 Instagram followers

My thanks in advance for your trouble, time, attention and consideration.

Cheers,

João
 

.

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>

~ 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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