I love election years. They’re full of good, old-fashioned politicking, mudslinging, fund-raising and stump speeches.
This month, we elected a new president who, most likely, talked his way into the White House on a foundation of promises about his vision of the future. Odds are, it won’t be long before complaints begin about a failure to follow through on campaign promises.
While politics isn’t the focus of this month’s column, it is a lot like business. And in business, there are few things worse than someone who fails to execute on a promise made to a customer. Such actions call into question fundamental principles such as integrity, honesty and good faith, none of which can afford to be compromised if a business is to be successful.
In many cases, those promises are made with all the best intentions. But sometimes those promises are made with only one intention: personal gain. So how can you keep your company from finding itself in a position where a customer is disgruntled over false promises?
Work within the constraints of your company’s abilities.
If your business provides only Web design, don’t offer network design as a bonus if you can’t do it in-house or don’t have deals with an outsource service provider already in place. It sets unrealistic goals that you won’t be able to meet.
I’ve heard one too many people say it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. That logic can get your business into serious trouble.
Make promises in good faith.
Don’t make promises simply to close a deal and then worry about performing later. When customers or suppliers accept your word that you will follow through on an order, products, service or even a referral, they expect that you intend to honor that promise.
Assuring customers that you’ll deliver just to get a deal signed while knowing you won’t is not only unscrupulous, it will come back to haunt your business in the long run.
Underpromise and overdeliver.
Few things satisfy clients more than telling them you’ll have an order completed on Friday, then delivering it on Tuesday, three days early. It saves customers time, money and worries about whether they’ll be able to complete their own business transactions in a timely fashion.
I once asked a salesman who had been honored as top in his industry what his secret to success was. He responded, “I always make promises to my customers that I not only know I’ll be able to deliver on, but 99 percent of the time I will be able to exceed their expectations.”
No wonder he’s been so successful.
In politics, unfortunately, there’s never been a candidate who’s triumphed in the poll box after proclaiming on the campaign trail, “I don’t know what I’m going to be able to do for you if you elect me, but whatever it is, I’ll do what’s within my means.”
In business, however, that same philosophy may help your company prosper. It’s worth considering. Dustin Klein ([email protected]) is editor of SBN.
