It may be a minor mistake or a colossal humdinger - whatever it is you need to deal with it immediately.
You don't have time to prevaricate. Is this a one off, a misunderstanding or part of a pattern of 'don't-get-it' behaviour? Deal with it as soon as you see it.
Don't let it fester.
Call them into a meeting room, or go sit quietly in the corner of a coffee shop. One on one, face to face. Be fair.
I want to give you some feedback after the mistake you've made, so you can think about it and not repeat it. We lost a customer today, which is not good for the business.
Then, absolutely critical, ask a question, "What do you think went wrong and why?"
Then, absolutely critical, listen. That will give you the insight you need to go to the next step, which is one of the following:
"You normally do such good work. I can see this is a blip. I have confidence in your work, so let's put it behind us and move on."
"You're making a few mistakes at the moment. Is there something else distracting you or are you struggling with the work? I can give you some time to sort yourself out if that's going to help."
"This is part of a pattern of mistakes that are damaging the business. I'd like you to consider if this is the right job for you. If it's not, I'll be reasonable while you look for something else. You need to understand that this is a verbal warning."
"We've been round this same loop a few times and things are not getting better. We've reached the end of the line. I'm letting you go."
Ultimately you're going to let this go, course correct or fire. Just don't let it fester.
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