A well known rule in business is to underpromise and overdeliver.
But this is terrible advice.
And yet it’s still preached in business books, in business schools, and on business blogs and forums across the internet.
I get it, I really do, and the concept isn’t that ridiculous on its own until you really start to look at it.
It’s basically just saying leave a little room in there to really WOW your customers.
Promise a little, then give a lot.
Unfortunately, this advice just isn’t relevant today.
Consumers have changed, as have their buying behaviors and purchasing criteria.
Problem #1: Underpromise
You can no longer sell yourself short with hopes of impressing a customer down the line.
By then it’s too late.
You’ve already lost them.
You need to impress them now, and in the future.
In today’s day and age do you really think you’ll be able to accumulate any reasonable amount of market share by under promising?
“Hello potential customer. Thanks for calling to learn more about how we may, or may not be able to help you. Let me just start by saying that our service is just ok, I mean, it’s not great, but we’re likely to get the job done, or at least mostly done. It’s certainly not going to be fast, or really outstanding or anything like that, but we’re semi-confident that you’ll be moderately satisfied. If you want more info, you can check out all of these average and not overly hostile reviews.”
Yeesh.
No, that just ain’t gonna cut it.
Underpromising is a surefire way to quickly lose out on an opportunity to serve your customers in the first place, as you can bet they’re going to keep searching around for a better offer.
Underpromising is nothing more than just plain old bad marketing.
I’m not saying you need to overpromise, or claim to be something you’re not.
But you’re not doing anybody any favors by holding back and underpromising.
Let your customers know exactly how great your product or service is, and then get to work delivering on that promise.
Problem #2: Overdeliver
As Jessica Stillman points out, overdelivering really isn’t that valued by customers.
Say what?!
It’s true, in a study performed by UC San Diego behavioral scientist Ayelet Gneezy and University of Chicago business professor Nicholas Epley, found that overdelivering just wasn’t that important or valued.
(I know it’s shocking, so if you don’t believe me, I won’t be offended, and you can read the study details here: Going above and beyond does not pay off)
So what was important and valued by consumers?
Keeping your promise.
In other words…
Say what you’ll do, and then do what you said.
That’s it.
Make a promise to your customers, and then keep it.
Simple and effective.
Promise and Deliver
Rather than underpromising, or overpromising, simply make a promise that accurately describes what you’re going to do.
And whatever you do, don’t sell yourself short, or the game is lose before it’s even begun.
Don’t overpromise, but don’t be afraid to set the bar high – and then reach it.
To excel in today’s business world, you should be aiming high anyways.
That’s why customers will choose you.
That’s how you win business today.
You make a big promise, and then you keep it.
