The Basil Fawlty Content Template

“Tell them you made a mistake.”

In “The Wedding Party” (Fawlty Towers), Basil Fawlty has committed a mistake and his wife tells him to go up and admit it to his guests. All the way up to them he rehearses what he is going to say: “I’m so sorry, I made a mistake.” But the moment he opens the door to the guest’s room, he says:

“I’m so sorry, but my wife has made a mistake!”

Basil Fawlty is not alone here. Lots of people hate to say “I’m sorry” and to apologize for any mistakes they have made. And yet, we all make mistakes.

If you are dealing with other people, you must be able to say “I’m sorry,” sometimes even when it is not your fault. Why, Because you will push people away by not admitting your mistakes. And by not being able to say “I’m sorry,” you will appear weak in other people’s eyes.

This is how to use the Basil Fawlty Content Template:

1: Think back: When was the last time you said “I’m sorry” to a subscriber or a client, How did he take it, What happened afterwards,

2: Come up with a thought-provoking headline.

3: Write an introduction to your article. You could tell your readers why customer service is important, even if they don’t have actual customers, but readers or subscribers.

4: Tell your story. What happened that last time you said “I’m sorry” to a client or reader, Was it hard for you to say it or write it,

5: Make bullet points for your readers. Show them a step-by-step plan to overcome any inner resistance and be able to say “I’m sorry,” whenever there is a reason to do so. This could mean situations where you did not fail, and the fault was the customer’s own. Give the readers tips about how to apologize, especially if it wasn’t their fault.

6: Summon up your article in the conclusion, and lead into your resource box, if you are writing for article syndication, traffic or back links.