Dear Customer,

My apologies on behalf of myself and our team for delivering a great job. We have failed to exceed your expectations and for that we are truly sorry. I am refunding 10% of your bill, which represents the premium for the value proposition that you paid for in good faith, but did not receive. -Your Humble Supplier

Based on what I hear many owners and executives say about their products and services, the above letter needs to go out to customers everywhere. I visit dozens of businesses and speak with scores of business owners every year, and most honestly believe that they are delivering best in class results to their clients. In their defense, on any given day someone in their firm does something admirable, but that alone does not a great company make.

Good people and good companies have the same qualities through and through. When you slice one up, each piece is full of pure awesomeness, which is why some companies really are worth more than others. Unfortunately too many firms wrongly believe they are that great through and through and therefore diminish the value of superlatives with every presentation, pitch, or promotion. Admit it, if you have to tell everyone how good you are, you aren’t.

What will a slice of humble pie do for your business? Perhaps it is just the motivation you need to look at your customer experience, appearance, and outcomes more objectively. It’s a call to action to better connect with your customers, to stop believe your internal dialogue, and start making improvements…now.