Are you keeping your promises?
Make no mistake, everything you do in business revolves around promises made.
The most important ones are the ones you make to your customers. Every message you send to your target market is making either a direct or implied promise. And customers today have little tolerance for broken promises. They’ll drop you like a hot potato.
It’s critical if your differentiator hinges on it, like FedEx (delivery by 10am the next day), but it’s also important if it’s simply a promise on features and functions, customer service, product claims, or competitive differentiation.
At every stage of the customer engagement, from first sale to post sale service, there’s promises that have to be kept. And remember Mum's famous last words...."two wrongs don't make a right"!.
We’ve all had experiences where promises aren’t kept. Some are the “no harm, no foul” type where it’s of no consequence. But others are significant and we as customers make a mental note not to purchase it again, and tell our peers and friends to do the same.
Don’t put your own company in the situation where customers walk away. You worked hard to get them. Force yourself to make only promises you are able and prepared to keep.
Encourage people in your company to think about decisions as promises. It may just change their outlook on delivering.
Wendy Kennedy
author/advisor/lady with the flipcharts
So What? Who Cares? Why You?
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