When you say something, mean it, and know that you can make it happen. I work with someone who is notorious in my shop (and, I do believe, in the community) for speaking before thinking. Sure, there is an “ideal” answer that everyone wants to hear, but most people would rather hear the truth.
Case in point: today we had a customer that came in with a cracked oil pan. Oil pouring everywhere under the car. and a very unhappy driver inside the car. She apparently hit something and damaged the oil pan. This person in my shop, in his infinite wisdom and reaching and grabbing for money, decided that we could do a 9.7 hour job in less than 8 hours before he had even checked to see if the part was available in the area. He happily quoted her a large sum of money, to which she replied, “whatever it takes, just do it.” He also stated it would be done this afternoon.
This job is a pain in the ass. It requires removal of the transaxle and dropping the engine cradle. 9.7 hours is conservative and it’s more like a 15 hour job. Luckily the oil pan was available locally and it was picked up. As of 5:15pm the mechanics (there were two working on it all day) were about 75% done. I’m obviously no longer at the shop but I’m pretty sure they did not/are not going to finish tonight as the shop closes at 6:00pm.
So sure you made the customer’s day by telling her that her oil pan would be done this afternoon. But if you had’ve been honest and said it would be done the next day, she’d be even happier because she could’ve planned accordingly. When you say something, mean it, and know that’s it’s feasible. If you’re making promises to make a sale, then your word doesn’t mean sh*t.
(end vent)
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The Enthusiast 
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