Open Journalism For All - News, Documentaries And Information Services

Make A Bold Promise Then Back It Up With An Awesome Guarantee

We finished the last article with a mnemonic…

All these extra sales you’re going to make are in the B.A.G.

A Bold Promise backed up with an Awesome Guarantee

So today we’ll look at what makes a Bold Promise and the three elements of an Awesome Guarantee!

A bold promise should be something that your customer really desires and which most of your competitors would be too afraid to make. Some people use, “we won’t be beaten on price”, or “lowest prices guaranteed” but being the best on price is a stupid way to position your service business anyway. So stay away from price-promises and deliver a value-promise instead. A value promise means you can charge more instead of less - leading to higher profits.

Some Sample Bold Promises…

* I will double your orders in less than 12 months

* You will get at least 5 times your investment back

* This book will help you get beach fit in 6 months

* I will remove your ISSUE/PROBLEM/PHOBIA in 1 hour

* We’ll deliver XYZ in under 60 minutes

* You’ll learn at least 5 things to increase your revenue

Now on to the awesome guarantee. There are three things that make a guarantee awesome…

1. It’s Unconditional. There should be no long list of conditions that must be met by the buyer in order to get their money back if you screw up. It should be simple and free of tricks - people should feel 100% confident that you are sincere when they buy.

2. It’s Long. Now here’s a funny thing - the longer you guarantee something for the lower your return rate. Why? Well if you give a piddly, tiny, guarantee period, people (in an effort to ensure their purchase was good) will spend that time looking for things that might be wrong. If they don’t feel time pressure, they’ll simply forget to look - after all they have all the time in the world… I recommend at least 30 days - but there’s nothing wrong with months or even years - our Lean Marketing Toolbox is guaranteed for 5 Years - and I’ve had not one return yet!

3. It Creates A “Forced Performance Effect”. This one works like magic. You not only remove risk by ensuring your customer gets their money back BUT you also penalise yourself for failure. This way people get a double-whammy! Not only do you remove their risk - you reverse it entirely - meaning it’s in your interests to deliver what you promised!

Some Sample Awesome Guarantees

* You get a full refund and keep the product worth £XXX - no questions asked

* The next time you visit it’s on me!

* I’ll gladly reimburse your fee and provide your next session free

* I’ll give you a free 1 hour consultation/coaching session worth £XXX

* We’ll refund your money and give you £XX For Your Trouble

Putting It All Together…

Simply bolting an Awesome Guarantee onto a Bold Promise can sound awkward and disjointed. So your final job is to a make the promise and guarantee with one simple statement.

Some examples…

If __________________ doesn’t _______________, then _______________________

If this course doesn’t give you at least 5 new techniques for boosting sales, then I’ll reimburse your fee in full and pay for your train ticket home.

If this 6-week fitness programme doesn’t help you lose at least 2 inches from your waist size, then I’ll gladly give you your money back and a beach wear gift voucher worth £25

If after one session of my NLP spider phobia cure you still can’t hold a spider in your hand without fear, then I’ll give you your money back and provide the next session free of charge.

________________________ or _______________________________

Double your sales success rate within 6 months or you get a full, no-questions-asked refund and a free place on my next course.

Read this book and find the man/woman of your dreams in 6 months or less or tell me what went wrong and I’ll gladly buy the book back and give you a free 1 hour telephone coaching session.

Have fun with this and be creative - it’s powerful. But never promise what you can’t realistically deliver (guarantee or not) and make sure you can deliver on your awesome guarantee when someone calls you on it.

This one approach could literally transform your business and boost conversion rates beyond recognition.

‘Dangerous’ Debbie Jenkins
debs@debbiejenkins.com

(c) Copyright 2005 www.BookShaker.com

SUMMER CAN BE SLOW FOR BUSINESS
But don’t let that get in the way of your success.
This is the ideal time to work on your business
rather than in it. Get 2 F’REE eBooks and prepare
for more success with less effort here…
http://www.leanmarketing.co.uk

I’m wondering if… You Know Other People who should be reading this too? So do us all a favour (they get 2 free books - we get a new subscriber - you get to look good) when you Pass On This link… http://www.leanmarketing.co.uk

A great deal of information (and misinformation) exists around the notion of brands and branding, but I have found that the essence of a brand can be distilled down to three simple concepts. Understand these concepts and you’ll become a branding expert. Consistently reinforce them throughout your organization and you’ll build a powerful brand.

1. The Brand Promise is a commitment you make to prospects and customers. It answers the question on every customer’s mind: “If I engage in a relationship with you, your product or your company, what can I expect?” The answer to this question must address the big problem solved or the compelling need fulfilled — in other words, the primary benefit of your product or service. Companies with the clearest brand promises have the strongest brands. And the simplest idea is often the most powerful.

2. The Brand Attributes include all the unique ways you deliver your brand promise. These comprise the feature set that describes the customer’s experience with your company. Common attributes might include your unique versions of quality, customer service, innovation and flexibility.

3. The Brand Personality describes the human characteristics people experience when they encounter your brand. It has by far the strongest influence on the emotional connection people feel toward your brand. Often a company’s brand personality matches the customer’s self-perception of their own personality or a personality they aspire to. Common brand personalities include ruggedness, sophistication, excitement, competence or sincerity.

Of these concepts, the brand promise leads the way because it is directly affected by the value proposition your company chooses. Your brand promise represents the core essence of your brand. It lays the foundation for your relationship with the customer. Take a look at these familiar brand promises and see if you can identify the companies that own them (scroll down for the answers).

1. The safest cars in the world

2. Frequent, low cost flights

3. Everyday low prices

4. Fun entertainment for the whole family

5. Advanced processors with continually improving cost and speed performance

6. A unique coffee experience

7. Low cost computers with minimal hassle

8. Time-certain delivery

9. Refreshment

These companies (how many did you get right?) are market leaders because they have relentlessly focused their entire organization on their brand promise. When you do business with any of them, you know what to expect and what you will receive.

The Essence of the Brand

Brand personality has to do with the emotional connection people have to your brand. It manifests itself in many different ways. It can be portrayed in the pictures and visual imagery of your brand or it can be communicated in the “tone” or “voice” of your communications.

Southwest Airlines, for example, knows that their employees directly reinforce their brand personality. Consequently, they hire only those people whose personalities exactly matches a carefully defined profile:

* A commitment to customer service

* Self-motivated and energetic personality

* Team-oriented

* Ability to work equally well alone or with others

* Sense of humor

* Positive attitude

* Flexibility to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment

Statistically, it is easier to get into Harvard University than it is to get a job at Southwest Airlines. If you don’t match this profile, you don’t work for Southwest — period. Of
course, this isn’t the only reason for Southwest’s phenomenal track record of success. But their fanatical devotion to their brand personality and the people who deliver it has played a major role in their ability to maintain a consistently strong brand image.

These three concepts — brand promise, brand attributes and brand personality — represent the essence of your brand, so it is critical to understand the power that comes from the interplay among and between them. By pursuing these concepts with passion and commitment, you can develop a clear, consistent and compelling brand that attracts
customers to your value proposition and puts your company in a position of market leadership.

Answers to which companies own the brand promises listed above:

1. Volvo

2. Southwest Airlines

3. Wal-Mart

4. Disney

5. Intel

6. Starbucks

7. Dell

8. Federal Express

9. Coke

Get your free whitepaper: The 10 Biggest Technology Marketing Mistakes… and How to Avoid Them

Rod Whitson serves Townsend as President and Chief Brand Strategist. Townsend is expert at helping organizations with innovative products and services develop differentiated, compelling value propositions. Townsend is the largest integrated marketing agency in Southern California. Rod has personally led recent branding engagements with Intel, BAE Systems, Merck, DowPharma, Marsh & McLennan, and the University of California system. He has also worked with a host of successful and not so successful early stage technology and life sciences companies. Since Townsend’s founding in 1993, it has helped clients create market valuation in excess of $80 billion.

Visit Rod’s blog, Branding the Complex

© 2006 Rod Whitson - All Rights Reserved Worldwide