The Power of (mis)Managed Expectations
October 28, 2008 by admin
Filed under Basic Sales Strategy, Bryan Neale
I’m in a Starbucks right now. I don’t drink coffee, but the person I’m meeting does, so here we are. For breakfast I ordered Starbuck’s PERFECT oatmeal. I don’t know exactly how long they’ve had it on the menu; I think it was new in late summer. I’ve had it 8 or 10 times now. BUT the last 2 times I’ve had it, it’s been far from PERFECT.
The last time we met here, my client and I both ordered it and instead of PERFECT oatmeal, we got oatmeal with the consistency of miso soup. We sent them back and got our PERFECT oatmeal PERFECTED, no problem.
This morning while I was in line, another patron was turning her PERFECT oatmeal back in. Reason? Too runny. A small debate ensued behind the counter. The posted instructions on how to prepare PERFECT oatmeal were scrutinized. The other patron was given a 2nd rendition of PERFECT oatmeal.
Undeterred, I ordered mine. When I popped the top after the prescribed 3-minute waiting period, my PERFECT oatmeal was shriveled like a raisin. Humpty-Hump from Digital Underground might like his “…oatmeal lumpy” but Biggie Neale doesn’t.
The lesson: Never name anything PERFECT. The expectation is WAY TOO high.
Practice this (expectation management) in every aspect of your sales life.
- Never commit to fulfilling what you don’t know you can fulfill.
- When discussing price, always start high.
- When there are problems or concerns, lead with them.
- Make lead times longer than they’ll be.
- When something’s wrong, call the prospect/customer immediately.
I was going to title my next book THE PERFECT SALES BOOK. Now maybe I’ll call it THE PRETTY GOOD SALES BOOK.
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I agree. I keep the expectations at a low level and then seek to surpass them. People are pleasantly surprised and appreciative. Works every time. Or should I say often? Never want to commit to something like “every time”.
Great post.
Great advice about naming a product.
Maybe Starbuck’s could use some “quality” time with Nealedawg !
Funny and smart! Glad I read it. I am not great at managing expectations. I am an optimist and a people pleaser…not a good combination! Thanks for the reminder.