Got your attention, didn't I? How many of you saw the title and thought, "Yeah right?" That's what I thought. You're probably thinking that this will waste your time and is a false promise. But this is a lesson. Albeit a little tricky, but a lesson nonetheless.
This isn't a new concept by any means, but it should be applied more than it is. Here's the thing, if a small business owner were to use some of my advice and work really hard at getting customers, it is possible that they could earn an extra $25k a year, but it's not a guarantee. And it may be deflating to learn that it won't happen for everyone. It's like when you go to a restaurant and it says "Free Cup Of Coffee" and in small print it follows up with "After a $7.50 purchase." Here you are, going into a coffee shop, thinking you're getting a free cup of coffee, when actually, it's probably 7 times the cost of a regular cup. Seems misleading doesn't it? One thing that companies need to realize, is that customers are not only looking for a good product, a good experience, but a trustworthy provider. If you're a bakery and you say you'll have baked goods ready for the high school bake sale on Friday and show up with two cupcake, technically you're delivering on your promise. But was your statement misleading? Absolutely. That's why we need to under promise and over deliver. Tell the customer what you plan to provide for them. Then deliver better than expected if its possible. Now, I'm not saying to under deliver to the point where someone questions your credibility because you're always delivering way better than you said you would, there is a fine line to walk. But here is an example from my own personal experience working.
I work in marketing research and at times, we can have really tight turnaround deadlines. I can't tell you my client, because that would breach confidentiality but I'll give you details to the best of my abilities. This company is a fast food chain. They were testing a new sandwich and wanted results quickly. Based on the work that we have done for them in the past, it's usually five business days from receiving data to presenting a report to the client. The clients that I was working with happened to want their data as quickly as possible, even though they knew what our "deliver by" date was. We promised to have something on our deliver-by date and said we would try to get data to them earlier if possible. I knew that they were on a time crunch so I made every effort to get them their data earlier than expected. I received the data on a Monday. The report was due on Friday. I worked furiously all day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and was able to provide them a report two days early. Just because I was able to deliver early on this particular project doesn't mean I will be able to do it every time. But, we under promised and over delivered, satisfying our clients needs.
So if you offer free coffee, make sure it's a free cup of coffee. You don't want grumpy people walking away with a $7.50 cup of joe.
Happy Marketing!!!
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