Managing Expectations
Whether it is with our customers or with other stakeholders, how we manage expectations is crucial to perception and satisfaction of the outcome.
When we overpromise, we set up to disappoint. And overpromising is not as simple an issue as just selling more than you have. No-one does that deliberately. It typically comes from an overly optimistic faith in future deliverables and that all these will come together perfectly to meet the aggressive commitment being made.
Treat your customers and stakeholders as partners. Represent your product and solution with conviction. But if there are variables, discuss them. Set expectations. Often, in the service sector, our customers have skin in the game when it comes to the outcome. Likewise, when dealing with internal projects and deliverables, there are often other stakeholders that are owners in the outcome - in other words, variables.
Spend the time to discuss variables, don't overpromise due to optimistic enthusiasm. Set expectations.
Be confident. Your product and service is good. How you position yourself and your services determines how trust is developed early on in the process.
And with trust and a good product, how can you go wrong?
When we overpromise, we set up to disappoint. And overpromising is not as simple an issue as just selling more than you have. No-one does that deliberately. It typically comes from an overly optimistic faith in future deliverables and that all these will come together perfectly to meet the aggressive commitment being made.
Treat your customers and stakeholders as partners. Represent your product and solution with conviction. But if there are variables, discuss them. Set expectations. Often, in the service sector, our customers have skin in the game when it comes to the outcome. Likewise, when dealing with internal projects and deliverables, there are often other stakeholders that are owners in the outcome - in other words, variables.
Spend the time to discuss variables, don't overpromise due to optimistic enthusiasm. Set expectations.
Be confident. Your product and service is good. How you position yourself and your services determines how trust is developed early on in the process.
And with trust and a good product, how can you go wrong?
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