Stop Apologizing

Sorry it took so long to get back to you.

That was the first line of the email, responding to a note I sent yesterday. Really? Was that a long time? It seems that in this day and age of instant notifications, we often place pressure on ourselves to respond instantly.

Don’t do that to your clients and customers. Leading with an apology changes the feel of your message. It implies that you could have responded sooner and chose not to. Shame on you for doing that, but it probably isn’t how the situation unfolded. What probably really happened was that you saw the notification come in, were involved in something else and responded when you could fully focus on the request. That’s a good thing. Typing “sorry” is a waste of your time.  Reading “sorry” is a waste of the recipient’s time – they care to read and learn the information you sent. Apologize when you’re late for a meeting, or have missed another scheduled item.

For the first time in years, my active client list is entirely Canadian.   I don’t think this apology-thing is Canadian specific though —  I’ve had email apologies for non-immediate responses from team members across the globe.

Here I am, three years of freelancing, 2.5 years since I founded Jocosity and I am just now launching my website. I’ve owned the domain for so long that it’s close to expiry.

I’m not going to apologize.

Sure, I wanted to get my business online sooner but it’s only now that I can really accurately describe my services and can speak from my cozy niche.

Celebrate with me!  It’s great to be here.