Bummer 

We’ve all been disappointed on occasion. 

• Our fast food meal took a long time finding its way to the drive-thru window.
• That expensive and luxurious new car turned out to be a lemon.
• A fine dining experience was spoiled when the entrée arrived at our table overcooked.
• Tropical storms ruined the island vacation for which we planned and saved all year.
• The value of that hot new technology company stock took a nosedive. 

What do all these disappointments have in common? 

They’re all examples of our expectations not being met. 

We’ve been set up  

Fast service restaurant chains have long boasted of quick, friendly service. Car manufacturers tout high quality ratings bestowed by “independent” testing and survey firms. High-end restaurants pride themselves, and sell us, on their reputations for perfectly cooked and presented culinary delights. Resorts market themselves as if there were never a cloud in the sky – not on their island! Pundits tell us this up and coming new technology stock is a winner. 

In each case our expectations were set very high by the marketing hype and (sometimes deserved) high-flying reputations of the businesses delivering these products and services. But these businesses did a poor job of managing our expectations. 

They promised more than they delivered. Sometimes the promises shouldn’t have been made at all. In other cases mistakes, defective parts, poor workmanship or lack or quality control were the source of the disappointment. But what really matters is that the businesses represented in these examples failed to properly manage our expectations. 

I think we all realize that, from time to time, “stuff” happens in the course of delivering our products or services to our customers. After all, we’re not perfect. What’s important to recognize, though, is that our customers are most disappointed when we have set their expectations so unrealistically high that there’s little chance of meeting them. 

So how do we avoid this pitfall? 

Under promise; over deliver. 

You can positively influence your customers’ satisfaction level by managing their expectations. 

Avoid at all costs promising anything you’re not positive you can deliver. That means everyone who works in your organization needs proper training. It means each of your employees, colleagues and co-workers need to be empowered to fix even the slightest problem on the spot. It means checking the quality of your products before they’re presented to your customers. And it means going the extra mile in the services you provide. 

Your customers’ satisfaction is tied to the entire buying experience. It begins to develop during your first contact and continues throughout the entire sales process. As you prove yourself and your solution to your customers, their expectations for the results you promise become “part of the deal.” The promise and reality become one and the same. 

The same holds true in your support of the solution after the sale. When you say you’ll deliver the product or service at a particular time or date, make sure it’s there at that time. If you promise support or help in the installation or implementation of the solution, then make sure you follow through until your customer is satisfied. 

With every little breach of the promises you make comes an erosion of the confidence your customer has in you, your product or service and your business. Expectations are shattered. Disappointment sets in. Your customer’s experience with you is downgraded. You lose that customer’s endorsement of your product or service; and, most sadly, of yourself and your business. You have lost that customer’s loyalty. 

Say what you mean and mean what you say 

So do what you say you’ll do when you say you’ll do it. Deliver the results you promised. Follow through with something extra and unexpected. Be a partner, a trusted advisor for your customers. Help them create victories and mitigate losses. 

Manage your customers’ expectations by promising only what you can surely deliver – and then give a little more. They’ll be happy they got what they expected – and loyal for having gotten something more. 

Ó 2005 Patrick A. Hassett. All rights reserved. 

Pat Hassett draws on more than 30 years experience in sales, sales management and sales support roles across several industries. He stands ready to help you increase your sales, your profitability and your customer loyalty through the use of customer-centric sales methods, high level customer service and customer relationship management tools. To learn more about how SalesNow! can help you, go to www.salesnowonline.com or write to infalesNowOnline.com.