A guarantee is a critical tool to build relationships and develop strategy. Designing a guarantee will change the way you look at your business.
When a hotel offers a money back guarantee, nobody promises a sound night's sleep. The hotel promises restful conditions: a clean, quiet, temperature-controlled room. The hotel will evict the noisy party next door, but they won't guarantee you'll sleep after three cups of after-dinner espresso, an hour of watching the latest Sopranos episode, or a family fight that broke out when you tried to call home. Similarly, no coach, consultant or counselor should promise that a client will achieve success. However, you can promise specific forms of verbal interaction that will facilitate the client's success. Unfortunately, those interactions can be harder to explain than "clean room." A few guidelines for guarantees include:
Write clearly. Avoid jargon. Be aware that your title, certification and service description may imply promises you never intended to offer. Be especially cautious when using metaphors to describe your service -- and remember that "coach" can be a misunderstood metaphor. Be honest with your clients. Disclose all information they need to make good decisions about their businesses, their lives and their relationship with you Guarantee what's important to the client. Do not offer a guarantee for benefits that shßould be taken for granted.
Guarantees are part of service strategy, not a marketing add-on. And regardless of whether you offer a formal guarantee, clients may view your promises as an implied contract. Even if you do not intend to offer a money-back guarantee, the act of thinking about a guarantee will help you look at your business in a new light. You will begin to gain a greater understanding of your mission, your offerings and your clients.
Cathy Goodwin holds an MBA from Wharton and a PhD from University of California, Berkeley. After writing a dissertation on complaint behavior of service customers, she spent nearly twenty years teaching, consulting and publishing research on the topic of service quality. Sign up for her ezine, "A Monthly Celebration of Career Freedom," by emailing subscribe@movinglady.com. Her website is http://www.movinglady.com.