It’s easier said than done but the quickest way to success in business is to “under promise and over deliver”.
Early in my career I did the exact opposite.
I was brand new and didn’t know my “you-know-what” from my elbow. Partly because I didn’t know what I was promising and partly because I just really wanted to get the client at any cost, I used to promise all kinds of things that I couldn’t deliver on.
As a brand-new Financial Advisor, I’d tell a client that I’d help them get debt free in a year. I hoped I could, but I had no idea if I would. I’d tell clients that their Financial Plan would be ready by the end of the week and then have to call to tell them it would be delayed. Not good business.
As soon as you break a client’s trust, even in a small, seemingly inconsequential way, they’ll always have a small doubt in their mind about you. Even if you mean well and even if they say “oh, it’s no big deal”, a small crack will appear. These small cracks can multiply and grow and when it’s time for the client to renew or buy again they may just decide to go elsewhere.
My policy over the years has been to VASTLY under promise and then by consequence over deliver. I make sure that the value of my product or service is so high that I have lots of room to under promise and when I deliver (in my normal way) it seems like such a win for the client.
These days in our current marketing business, I’ll quote a client six weeks to build their website, knowing full well it’ll be two weeks. There’ll be a little frown when I say this but they’ll say “okay” and then when it’s ready two weeks later (our normal delivery time) they’re thrilled. They’ll say “That was fast!”. Then later, I’ll tell a client that it’s normal for us to post to social media 3-4 times per week on their behalf and when we’re able to post once and sometimes twice per day, they’re blown away. Happy clients? I think so…
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