|
Guarantees with Oomph
© 2003
by Marcia Yudkin
Not long ago a real estate appraiser asked my opinion of
his new brochure. "'Guaranteed on-time
appraisals,'" I read out loud. "You mean that if
it's not on time, the customer gets a refund?"
"No, I couldn't do that," he replied. "So
many times things get delayed for reasons outside of my
control."
"What do you mean, then, by 'guaranteed'?"
MANY WAYS TO MAKE MONEY AT HOME! Need a
Few Quick Bucks or Want to Make a Lot
of Money Over Time, Without a Job,
a Business, or Hassles?
You've Found the Right Place!
http://paydotcom.net/r/82184/ebo07/27030588/ |
"Never mind, then. Strike that out. We couldn't give
people their money back every time an appraisal was
late."
He'd come close to landing his business in serious trouble.
The word "guarantee," like the word
"free," has a specific meaning that the Federal
Trade Commission and state attorneys general enforce.
Without any explicit qualifiers attached,
"guarantee" means that the customer has the right
to a 100 percent refund if the product or service
disappoints them -- no "ifs," "ands" or
"buts."
Further, because of the well-known strength of the word, a
guarantee holds a powerful potential to increase business. I
explained to the appraiser that an on-time guarantee would
probably boost his business enough to cover the occasional
refund. We then restated his guarantee to read, "We
guarantee that we'll deliver your appraisal by the promised
time, or it's free." He'd cover his flanks by being
careful about the promises he made.
Like a sharp knife, guarantees can cut through a prospect's
skepticism and fears. Handle them with care, but include
them in your business's toolbox.
* Try a long guarantee. The longer the guarantee, in
fact, the fewer refund requests a business receives. If your
competitors offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, extend
yours to 90 days, a year or even a lifetime.
MANY WAYS TO MAKE MONEY AT HOME! Need a
Few Quick Bucks or Want to Make a Lot
of Money Over Time, Without a Job,
a Business, or Hassles?
You've Found the Right Place!
http://paydotcom.net/r/82184/ebo07/27030588/ |
* Depending on your business, consider a performance
guarantee instead of promising a refund. For example, a
termite-control customer might prefer your promise to make
the problem go away, no matter what it takes, to getting her
money back if the treatment doesn't wipe out the pests.
* If you can stand behind outrageous-sounding guarantees,
go for it, as in, "We guarantee that your credit-card
application will be approved by one of the listed banks, or
we'll return every penny you paid us, plus $10.00 extra for
your trouble." Since this company knows that only 4
percent of applicants get turned down, their offer motivates
without bankrupting them.
* Try guaranteeing some aspect of your product or
service rather than the main product or service itself. One
advertising firm promises that all calls will be returned in
less than one hour, or the caller receives a $25 gift
certificate to a local restaurant.
* Act graciously and promptly when a request for a
refund comes in. See what you can learn from the customer's
dissatisfaction. Software returns were killing one catalog
merchant until she wrote the catalog copy more carefully and
tested it on her friends for clarity. Customer service
research reveals that people whose complaints are handled
well often turn into more loyal customers than those who
never had a problem!
-----------------------------------------
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
The above is adapted from "Secrets of Mouthwatering
Marketing Copy" by Marcia Yudkin, available from http://www.yudkin.com/mouthwatering.htm
. Marcia Yudkin <marcia@yudkin.com>
is the author of 11 books, including Persuading on Paper and
Internet Marketing for Less than $500/Year.
|
Adlandpro
Toolbar gives you instant access to your
Free Email Account, Free Website, submission to
over 8,900 sites, learning tools, free discussion
list on marketing and promotion with 26,000
subscribers, Free 5 day Website Success course by
email, plus instant search. Click
Here. |
|