Build Client Trust Series: Under Promise and Over Deliver

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through the link, I get a small percentage at no additional charge to you. See my disclaimer policy for more info.

Are You Building Trust with Your Clients?

In the Build Client Trust series, we are discussing strategies to build trust and keep clients happy. Strategy #1 focused on how to craft a clear sales message. In this post, we'll look at Strategy #2: Under Promise and Over Deliver. What does this mean? The best way to explain this is by sharing an example. 

Think about the last time you bought something from your favourite online store. How did you feel when the item arrived earlier than expected? Or, maybe the seller threw in a little something extra such as stickers, a notecard, or a pen? My guess is you were pleasantly surprised. Your favourite store promised X but they over delivered either with an early arrival date or a small gesture...simple steps that enhanced your shopping experience.

This is exactly what you want to do with every part of your online business. It is a strategy that you can apply to everything you do in your business from sending emails and posting on social media to delivering your products and services.

What are the benefits of under promising and over delivering?

1. It gives your clients a positive experience with you.
2. It provides a cushion for times when you occasionally miss a deadline or make a mistake. It happens. We’ve all messed up a product delivery or missed sending out an email we promised. When you consistently over deliver, you build up enough trust with your audience that it will be easier for them to forgive any hiccups. 

How can you apply this strategy in your virtual assistant business? Here are 3 ways:

1. Under Promise and Over Deliver With Content 

Let’s say you set the expectation or promise your readers a new blog post every week. Throw in a bonus post every so often. Or include a short report or video (Loom is excellent for quick videos) to go a little deeper. You could even have a live Q&A session so they can ask you questions about the content you shared over the past month. Get creative and give them a little something extra. 

2. Under Promise and Over Deliver With Email 

Get into a routine with your emails from day one. For example, notify your subscribers that your newsletter will come out every Wednesday. Step one will be to make sure that it goes out every Wednesday like clockwork. Thankfully that’s easy to do with the scheduling feature any good autoresponder service has. We use MailerLite. Then pop in with something extra every once in a while - maybe once a month or so. You could also give them something they weren’t expecting in that newsletter e.g., a product, bonus or printable.

Tip: Repurpose things you already have to make this quick and easy. 

3. Under Promise and Over Deliver With Your Paid Products and Services 

Always give yourself a cushion when it comes to delivering. It’s better to deliver early than late. The same goes for the content. Don’t advertise everything included and position the extras as unannounced bonuses. This will give your clients more value than what they expected. 

Always be on the lookout to give your audience a little extra, something unexpected that will make their day. Not only will they be happy and impressed, but they’ll also be so excited they will turn into brand ambassadors for you, spreading the word about the extra mile you’re willing to go. 

Final Thoughts

Try these different ways to deliver more than expected in your business. Start with one of them and track the changes.  Once you feel you've nailed it, move to the next. As you build momentum, you will find that under promising and over delivering come naturally to you. Feel free to leave a comment and share how this strategy works for you.  

Other posts in the Build Client Trust Series:

Craft a Clear Sales Message