Moving Beyond “Underpromise and Overdeliver”: Promise, Deliver, & Keep Your Boundaries While Meeting Client Expectations

Have you ever heard Seth Godin’s phrase “underpromise, overdeliver”? Well, you have now, and I want you to remember it.

The idea is this…

You supply a product or service to your clients as a business owner. Your clients come to you in search of what you offer. And when they buy in, what they receive has to exceed their expectations.

According to those who uphold this approach, you should make sure you overdeliver. It’s the easiest way to ensure you get free advertising referrals through word of mouth and build a successful business.

Many marketers out there are more than willing to champion the “underpromise, overdeliver”, and I totally understand why. 

However, it’s not a “one-size-fits-all” slogan. In fact, if you adopt it in certain ways, you might find that you have started walking a self-destructive path as an entrepreneur. 

Let’s talk about how you can move beyond the “overpromise, underdeliver” approach while embracing its spirit and not sacrificing your health, happiness, and freedom!

What’s the spirit of overpromise and underdeliver?

The idea is simple: dazzle your clients so they see hearts every single time they think of you. 

After your clients leave your services, they may encounter a new problem. Can you guess who’s first on their list to get help from?

Whenever your clients are in conversation with others who could benefit from your services, they can’t help but recommend you. 

Whenever you create a new digital product and send out the announcement to your email list, they’re going to want to buy it because they know what you do works. 

Dazzling your clients by giving them far more than what they expected when they signed up with you has a ripple effect more like a boulder dropping in the water than that of a small stone. 

So, what could go wrong?

In short, everything. 

“Underpromise, overdeliver” is often misunderstood to mean “keep the customer happy at all costs”. 

 If you take the “keep the customer happy” approach, that can lead to…

• scope creep on projects where the customer keeps adding a little bit, then a little bit more, and yet a little bit more until you discover that they are asking you to do far more than you originally contracted for.
• they may expect you to meet a deadline even though they gave you a ton of information you’ve been waiting on at the 11th hour, which means you will need to work around the clock to (hopefully) meet their demands.
• extremely low pricing that can lead to not earning what you need to in order to stay in business. 

If no one has ever told you this now, I’m going to say it now: The customer is not always right. 

You are the primary stakeholder in your business. It’s important that you understand the value of your work and learn how to manage expectations early on so you and your new client can start off on the right foot and enter into a mutually respectful relationship. 

The power of balancing client expectations and your well-being

In the world of coaching and service-based businesses, a profound truth often goes unspoken: balancing client expectations while safeguarding your work-life balance is really, really hard.

For many of us, our journey into entrepreneurship was born from a deep-seated desire to make our clients happy, to excel in our craft, and to provide unparalleled service. But how often do we find ourselves on a tightrope, teetering between pursuing perfection and preserving our own well-being?

It’s a dilemma that often stems from well-intentioned roots. Many of us were raised to be people-pleasers. Our parents and teachers taught us to go the extra mile.

While service and dedication are commendable, they can lead us down a dangerous path—a path where overworking, overdelivering, and inadvertently allowing clients to push boundaries becomes the norm.

Remember, the number one asset your business has is you. If you go down, so does the business. 

A new approach to customer service where exceeding expectations meets inner harmony

It’s time to reframe the narrative of under-promising and over-delivering while recognizing that the pursuit of excellence doesn’t have to come at the cost of your well-being. We’ll explore how you can provide exceptional service while carving out space for your personal life, health, and sanity.

This article isn’t about settling for less or delivering less. It’s about realizing that by balancing expectations you can consistently overdeliver while preserving the most precious asset of all—your own work-life balance.

This article isn’t just about theory; it’s a practical guide brimming with actionable tips and strategies I’ve learned the hard way over my last 8 years in business. Think of it this way…I went through it and I’m giving you this so you don’t have to. 

You are about to learn how to set clear boundaries, communicate effectively with clients, and create a business culture that not only meets but anticipates their needs. You’re going to discover the fine art of saying “yes” when it matters most and “no” when it’s necessary, without guilt or fear.

It’s time to reclaim your work-life balance as a business owner

Your passion, dedication, and commitment are undeniable as a business owner. But it’s equally vital to recognize that your well-being is the foundation upon which your business thrives. By embracing the principles of this article, you’ll strike that elusive balance—a balance where you consistently exceed client expectations while ensuring your own work-life equilibrium remains intact.

So, join us on this journey, whether you’re an accomplished coach, a seasoned consultant, or a service business owner on the path to success. Let’s reshape the narrative together and empower you to create a business that serves your clients exceptionally and nurtures your own growth, health, and happiness. Let’s step into a place where the art of balancing client expectations and your well-being align.

The power of underpromise and overdeliver

In the world of service-based businesses, I want to emphasize that the spirit of “underpromise and overdeliver” is not “the customer is always right”. It’s ultimately about…

• recognizing that clients have expectations when they sign up to work with you
• managing those expectations right out of the gate in a way that you have room to exceed them
• exceeding those expectations in a way that is beneficial for both your client and you
• leaving the kind of impression that transforms a client into a raving fan who spreads the word about you whenever the opportunity arises

If you look at that list, I’m sure you can see that the way many think they should implement the concept might actually be unhealthy or even counterproductive. 

Let’s start breaking down all the things you can do to unleash the spirit of “underpromise and overdeliver” in a healthy way. 

The art of managing expectations

One of the fundamental aspects of underpromising and overdelivering is managing client expectations. Think of it this way…

Let’s say I invite you out to coffee and I tell you up front that the coffee is on me. When we meet at the coffee shop, I pay for the coffee, and then I turn to you and give you a $20 bill. When you say to me, “I thought you were buying me coffee,” I reply with “Yes, and giving you $20 cash is what it means when I say I’m going to buy you a coffee.”

Totally unexpected. And now you are going to remember this interaction for a long time, if not for the rest of your life. And, when I invite you to lunch, you’re probably going to jump at the chance. 

In this scenario, I’m managing your expectations. I present to you the offer to “go get coffee” and your thought process takes you to a certain expectation, then I overdeliver and knock your socks off. 

Before I go on…

I want to emphasize that managing expectations does not mean selling yourself in a way that potential clients have low expectations. You are not going to get clients if you try to sell yourself short on your website so you can knock your delivery out of the park. You still want your marketing to communicate clearly that your products and services provide high value, and then you supplement that value in other ways to take it to the next level. 

Now, let’s look at some ways you can do that without over-extending yourself. 

The promise of excellence

When clients sign up to work with you, they have a forecast in their brains about what the future should hold. They have a vision of what the finished work will look like. They are primarily focused on the finished product. 

You want not only the quality of your work to be high, but also the quality of their experience. To do that you need to go above and beyond through excellence and deliver your best work every single time. 

Please notice that I’m not saying do more than you contracted for. I’m simply saying do the best work you can to fulfill the contract. This includes high-quality contact with your customers. Feel free to give them some side advice that they didn’t expect during a conversation. Drop in some knowledge bombs they can use later. Every single time they interact with you, find a way to remind them subtly that you are indeed the expert they were looking for. 

When you do this, you will add a powerful “wow” factor to the client’s experience, which is a great way to make them want more from you. You want them to say, “That business is worth every single cent, and then some.”

Your self-perception may change if you start thinking of yourself as a “supplier of excellence.”

Scheduling and deadlines

When you sign up a client, you need to contend with their schedule. They have deadlines they need to meet. Those deadlines may be influenced by the work you do with them. That means they will expect you to be able to schedule appointments when they can work with you and meet deadlines so they know what to expect. 

When setting up schedules and deadlines, make sure they are realistic for you. Only agree if you have plenty of time to get it done. Clients often want things done sooner than you are able to complete them because they don’t know all of the work that goes into what you do. 

Not giving yourself enough time with deadlines is risky. You don’t know for sure that you will be able to get what you need to do done by then. Sometimes, you will find the time crunch makes projects hard to deliver. It’s at times like this you will look back and say to yourself, “I should have asked for a longer turnaround time.”

When you accept a deadline, it’s kind of like a promise. They’ll expect the deliverable at that time. If the deliverable isn’t ready, they may start to think you can’t deliver on time. They may even share their experience with other potential clients, which can damage your word-of-mouth reputation. 

You can avoid this by communicating honestly and directly with customers what your expectations and needs are right up front. This clarity can go a long way to improving your client relationships. In the end, if you negotiate appropriate schedules and consistently meet deadlines, that’s a huge feather in your cap. 

Building trust through consistency

Trust is worth more than money because trust is what makes you money. And, consistency helps build trust. 

You want to protect the quality of your reputation. Consistently completing projects on time will earn you a name in your industry. When former clients share your name with others, your name will mean something. 

That is one of the best ways you can build a name: be predictably consistent. This requires being mindful of how much time you need to actually complete a project, and then adding a bit of buffer onto that for when things go awry (and something always goes awry). 

Of course, there are other ways to try to build trust that cause you to overwork yourself and sacrifice your health and well-being. If you pursue them, rather than building a great name for yourself, your reputation may end up less than desirable. 

Think about it this way: Do you really want your reputation to be that of…

• a doormat?
• the cheapest service on the block?
• someone who will drop everything to add unexpected work to the project for free?

I certainly hope not.

Instead, focus on maintaining high-quality deliverables that are delivered on time. This will allow you to demand the respect you deserve, and your word-of-mouth reputation will let others know that you are a true, reliable professional who deserves professional rates. 

A commitment to staying agile

There will be times when a client tells you, “We’ll need to make some changes to the project.”

Be careful with this one. It opens the door to scope creep, which is where clients keep asking you for a little more, then just a little more, and then just a little more…and the next thing you know the project has grown far beyond what you anticipated. 

Yes, you want to take into account the needs of your clients, which may legitimately change while you are working together. And, you want to take into account what is reasonable. 

But, just because the client wants to make a change doesn’t mean that you should.

Typically, changes will lead to more work and time crunches, so you need to ensure you have the space to deliver on your schedule. If a project suddenly becomes a rush job, that’s worth a higher fee. 

Analyze how significant their request is. If it is something minor, you might want to consider accommodating the situation. If you do, I recommend you make it clear that you are making a one-time exception for this and future changes will need to be addressed contractually. 

If it is indeed more significant, you might say, “I can certainly appreciate why you want to change our working agreement to accommodate the new situation. Let’s talk about what that would mean contractually.” This opens the door to discussing compensation for the extra work. Once they hear that changes beyond the original agreement may cost more, they will need to determine how badly they want them. If they think it’s okay to keep adding work to your plate without paying for it, this lets them know otherwise. 

While you strive to take care of your customers, you want to make sure you don’t get taken advantage of. Staying agile with your project management does not mean you have to fulfill every request and sacrifice your well-being.

Think of these situations as a win-win opportunity: they can get the adjustments they need and you can get paid more for your work. 

Going the Extra Mile

Too often, when entrepreneurs say they are going the extra mile, they mean they are giving way too much to other clients. Don’t get me wrong. I believe it’s good to be generous. Yet, too much generosity can be damaging to you and your business. 

Whenever you work with clients, try to give them a little extra—a little more than they expect—in every single interaction. That’s a much better way to implement an over-delivery method than simply doing whatever a client wants. 

If you find clients consistently want more of your time and expertise than the time in your projects allow, put on the thinking cap of a service developer who watches interactions for opportunities to expand your offers. Consider what might meet their needs and build a service around it. Update your choices on your website so new clients know they, too, can have that white-glove treatment if they opt for it. 

A Better Way to Deliver: Harmonizing Your Well-Being and Client Expectation

You don’t want potential clients to have low expectations when they hear about you. That means they somehow got the message that your work is low quality, and that may signal that you are selling yourself short through ineffective marketing. After all, what customer’s going to want to work with someone they can’t expect much out of?

On the other hand, you don’t want to make so many promises you can’t keep up. That clearly falls into the “not a good idea” category. 

You can have a profitable business that truly cares about your clients without sacrificing yourself. Seek balance and harmony, and it will empower you to empower your clients in amazing ways.  

And, if ever you want to talk with us to find out how we can help you grow your business so you clock out at the end of the day and enjoy the rest of your life, feel free to schedule a clarity call.