 Under
Promise - Over Deliver
By Kristi Nielsen
Today the expectations of the consumer are much higher than the expectations twenty
years ago. Customers are unafraid to complain. Customers feel they are paying high prices
for goods and services out of an ever-squeezed after-tax dollar. Sometimes their
expectations are unreasonable, and yet the customer is always right. How do we as business
people continue to deal with an ever-raising bar of expectations?
Under promise and over deliver - This is your answer. If you hand out
bold promises and then fall short, you will definitely hear from an increasing number of
dissatisfied customers. It may seem to you that it is selling yourself short if you
‘under-promise’. However, there are many ways of creatively doing just that.
Suppose you are delivering flowers. If the client wants it there by 3
o’clock, inform your courier that it needs to be there by 2 o’clock. This
insures not only that you meet their request it also takes charge of the courier, over
whom you have little control. If the courier is 20 minutes late, he has still exceeded
your customer’s expectations. The same is true if you are a drycleaner, a repair
shop, or any business where time is a factor.
Do not over book - Doctor’s offices are notorious for this. Even
as people feel their budgets are strained, they feel even more strained about time. If you
cause them needless delays, they will look upon your business less favourably than if you
are punctual. Over booking does not ensure that you make more money; it only adds to your
own sense of stress. This stress feeds through and is evident in how you deal with your
customers.
Look for subtle ways to add value - Don’t tell them that you are
also going to vacuum their car. Just do it. I dealt with a GM dealership for five years
(until I moved), and every time I took my car in for an oil change, they either washed it
or vacuumed it. It really made me feel good. How much did that cost the dealership? Not a
lot, compared to the loyalty and customer referrals they generated. Furthermore, do you
wish to pay employees wages for listening to complaints, or invest in ensuring there are
less complaints?
The house cleaner I used for a number of years, would leave a box of
two truffles and a carnation on the master bed. Talk about a good feeling. You not only
came home to a clean house, you came home to a little gift. The carnation always lasted
until the next time they came, so it was a continuous reminder of them. Do you think they
generated referrals this way? You bet. When people would come over they would say, “A
carnation? What was the special occasion?” When I would tell them my house cleaner
leaves one each week, they would say, “Oh, who does your housecleaning?”
The ideas are limitless - They make a difference and generate happy
customers. In fact, I was not terribly pleased with the housekeeping company because they
had different staff almost every week, but I stayed with them for a whole year anyway.
Obviously, little extras do not replace a job well done, but they can make a bigger
difference than you may think.
Developing a Million Dollar Attitude:
1) In what area are you making too many bold promises that come back to
stab you in the back? Where is the line between a bold promise and over promising?
2) Are you generating what is expected, and no more? How can you
under promise and over deliver?
3) What do the majority of dissatisfied customers complain about? How
can you impact this and reduce the number of complaints?
4) Action Plan: What do you intend to do in this next week to move
forward based on this information? How will you measure your progress, and when will you
complete the necessary steps?
Business Coach Kristi Nielsen’s, passion is to help people achieve more
through less effort.
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