I can do it faster, better, and cheaper than any of your other vendors! I’m available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 366 days a year! You won’t find ANYBODY in town with better customer service. I’m selling this to you BELOW my cost. I don’t have to check with the warehouse — I can deliver it TOMORROW. I can get you the mortgage approved WEEKS before the close date.
Wow. If I wasn’t a seasoned entrepreneur, all those promises would sound like awesome deal-closers. However, experience proves that they are all deal-killers. Why? Because if you have to over-promise to get the client, then there’s probably somebody out there better equipped to handle their business. You know the saying: “If it sounds too good to be true …”
Try not to offer the sky. I know you need the business. But over-promising leads to a no-win situation: If you look desperate, well … you know how that works out. If you do get the business, it’s only a matter of time before you disappoint. Don’t dole out promises you can’t keep. In fact, here’s a crazy idea: Try the opposite. Deliver unexpected acts of customer service and you will be rewarded with the mother of all wishes: loyalty.
That takes us to: Under-promise and over-deliver. Make sure this mantra is part of your business practice. We’re expected to do what we say. We are not expected to go above and beyond. So, each and every time you do, you add a raving fan to your business. And the goal is to have a business that is full of raving fans and not just clients or customers, right?
Famous quote
Under promise; over deliver.
Tom Peters