We’ve all heard the phrase "under-promise and over-deliver." I am a personal fan of that saying. I heartily believe that you should deliver at least to the level you promised. When possible, promise to do what you know can be done and is expected; then go all out to make sure what you deliver goes above and beyond those expectations. If you don't, well, think of facing those faces in the photo above because that's what your clients will look like!
A prime example of under delivery on promises happens at trade shows every day. How often have you requested information, a sample or to schedule with promises of post-show follow-up only to have nothing happen? Statistics show that 80% of requests made to an exhibitor on a trade show floor don't get followed up on.
Whether it’s caused by the hiring of local temps instead of having actual company employees, of not having an organizational system in place, or just being overwhelmed with booth visitors, things fall through the cracks. One thing I know about those cracks, they make great fishing holes for the companies who do deliver on their promises.
The bad example: When I attended PPAI Expo (the promotional product trade show) in January, I walked the show floor knowing that I had five clients who had contacted me to keep my eyes open for something in particular for them. I found those five somethings at five different supplier booths I visited and requested a sample of each from their respective source. It's now 4 months after the show and I've received one out of the five requested samples. (Remember that 80% statistic from above - a perfect proof of that here.)
The good example: At another trade show, one of my suppliers was running a drawing for an iPad using one of their products as the entry ticket. They were drawing tickets the second day and the crowd around their booth was amazing. I used my phone to take video, but I’m only 5′ 4″ and there were a lot of tall people in front of me. My video didn’t show a lot. I noticed that the guy running the supplier booth was having someone take video from a great angle. I explained that I would like to blog about the product and was wondering if I could get a copy of his video to use. It was waiting in my e-mail inbox for me within one day, even though he had to pack up his booth and get himself to the airport for a flight back to Pennsylvania; he still managed to send me a copy of the video. WOW!!!! (That video is up on my website and YouTube channel.)
If you can run your business like that – whether at a trade show or on a day-to-day basis, your business will be a winner!