The Studio Source.com

Do you ever have those days? You know, the kind where you feel like your head will implode if you utter another word about business?

Okay, maybe it’s just me.

We’re not talking much about marketing today. There’s a moral to the story that follows, so if you only have time for that, skip to the end. But you’ll miss the entertainment, which mostly involves laughing at the misadventures of yours truly.

This is how it goes:

I’m a pretty good driver, but sometimes circumstances conspire to put the best of us in situations that make us wish we’d stayed in bed that day.

Long story short: I was in a parkade notorious for tight corners and difficult navigation, and I managed to clip the passenger side mirror when I got too close to a concrete pillar.

I calculated the repair cost as I made my mortified way to the service department of our local car dealer. Then I had an idea. Instead of going to the service desk, I strolled up to the parts counter and asked for a mirror. The guy looked skeptical, but came back with a box.

I gave the assembly a quick once-over and shrugged. “It’s a mirror. It’s not a big deal.”

He took my money with a “Yeah, sure, lady, good luck with that,” expression.

Which meant that not only did I have something to fix, I had something to prove. Jerk.

One of the joys of the internet is the abundance of DIY information. Google the make of your car and the required repair job, and voilà—you have your instructions.

It really wasn’t that difficult, and I was feeling mighty relieved at how quickly I was able to put a side mirror on my car and corresponding bandage on my badly bruised ego.

Inordinately pleased with myself, I commenced an early celebration. Out loud, I declared, ”I rock.”

You know that scene in Lord of the Rings where they’re in the Mines of Moria and Pippin knocks the dead orc down the mine shaft, and the sound echoes for what seems like an eternity? It’s remarkably similar to the sound of a bolt as it falls inside the door assembly of your nearly-repaired vehicle.

I’ll spare you the words that followed.

Doubly offended, I considered my options: automotive fasteners are not available at the local hardware store. There was no way in hell I was going back to our car dealer, just in case the same guy was at the parts desk. There was another dealer, but I’d either have to explain what happened, or cook up a really good story that they probably wouldn’t believe anyway.

Not going to happen.

Back to Google, to figure out how to take the door apart. The only trouble I had was with the window crank, because the instructions I found weren’t doing the job. Fortunately, my father’s good with cars, and he gave me a tip on how to take the crank apart.

It took a while to find the bolt, and a while longer to extract it from the tiny crevice where it had become lodged. But I got it, and decided to feel grateful rather than triumphant. I reassembled the door (turns out brute force rather than finesse got the damnable window crank back together), and very carefully installed the new side mirror.

You’d never know it wasn’t the original.

And so, dear friends, here are the lessons learned: never get cocky about a DIY repair job. At least, not until it’s done, you’re certain you don’t have any mysterious parts left over, and you’re absolutely sure it won’t fall apart if you look at the thing sideways.

As far as business and marketing go, don’t be afraid to be a real person with your customers. And don’t get cocky with your marketing, either.

Over to you: any instant karma stories to share? What do you do when you get tired of talking about business?

Possibly related posts:

1. Sith Lords and a cautionary tale about branding
2. A cautionary tale about online selling
3. Two important lessons learned in a car showroom