Don't wait for legal action to make you accountable to your customers.

As the trial of Michael Jackson’s doctor unfolds, one aspect of the prosecution’s case has been receiving particular attention: Conrad Murray neglected to tell medical responders that the patient had taken propofol, an anesthetic usually reserved for surgeries. Although it is quite likely that Jackson’s life couldn’t have been saved even if his personal physician had freely offered this information, the fact that Conrad Murray withheld this puzzle piece certainly does not help his case. Whether or not he was ultimately responsible for Jackson’s death,  he acted guiltily, as if he had something to hide.

Murray’s situation  offers an important lesson for small business owners: secretiveness won’t help your case, even if your actions will have difficult repercussions. Perception is a vital part of customer relations and building your business image. Whether or not you’ve done something wrong, it’s not a good idea to come across acting guilty because it works against your company’s ability to build customer trust, and long term customer relationships depend on showing the customer that you would rather act in his best interests than cover your own tracks.

Sometimes the best customer relationships grow out of situations where you make mistakes, take responsibility, and remedy the situation. Let’s say you own an auto shop, and one of your technicians neglects to replace a customer’s radiator cap, causing the car to overheat and sustain expensive engine damage.

On the surface it may seem cheaper and easier to deny that your business is responsible, avoiding the high cost of footing another repair bill. But if you take responsibility for the incident, fix the damage yourself, and rent the customer a car while the work is being completed, you could earn yourself a friend and a customer for life. By stepping up, you earn your customer’s respect and give him a story worth relating to his friends, providing your company with priceless referrals.

Transparency is a wise policy for a small businesses, whether or not you have done anything wrong. Returning to the unsecured radiator cap example, even if you do not believe that your employee is at fault, you have a better chance of convincing the customer that you are not liable if you are open about your company’s protocols and practices rather than simply denying that there is any way your technician could have made this error. You show the customer that you are taking his complaint seriously, and that his trouble is worthy of your time.

Every business makes mistakes, and sometimes these mistakes are very expensive and attract unwanted publicity. You have a better chance of using these situations to your advantages and turning weaknesses into strengths by showing customers that, even if your business isn’t perfect, you’re committed to acting with integrity and openness, while taking advantage of each opportunity to improve.

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