Content Writing Tip: How to “Underpromise, Overdeliver”

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

As a business owner, you supply a product or service to your clients. Indeed, your clients come to you in search of what you offer. And when they buy in, what they receive has to exceed their expectations. Make sure you overdeliver.

Be careful though. To overdeliver, you need to underpromise. The danger here is that you may be tempted to sell yourself short on your website. In short: don’t.

Imagine going to a website homepage with a problem. There, you find someone saying, “Have this problem? No problem! I can sort of, kind of help you!”

Now, imagine pulling out a stopwatch and timing how long it takes you to hit that back button to get as far away from that site as possible.

This is what you don’t want from your visitors. Overpromising doesn’t mean underselling yourself.

Overpromise By Focusing on What You Really Do

Rather than lowering the expectations of your potential clients, figure out what you really do and focus on that. If you are able to maintain that focus, you will overdeliver by default.

I’m going to use myself as an example to show you what I mean.

I am a modern, science-based, force-free dog trainer by primary trade. When people invite me into their homes, they think that I’m going to help them to learn how to work with their dog to improve behavior. (That’s the promise they have heard, and that’s what they want.)

But, here’s a secret: that’s not what I really do.

Sure, improved behavior is going to happen for their dog, so they are going to get their money’s worth. I’m not doing a bait and switch. What I’m saying is that the behavior change is only the surface reality (the underpromise) of something that happens on a much deeper level (the overdeliver).

I’m going to tip my hand now and reveal to you what I really do for my clients:

When you invite me to work with you, I help you take the love that you have in your heart and actively get it out into your relationships…starting with your dog.

That’s not the same as merely helping you improve your dog’s behavior. Yes, it includes improving your dog’s behavior, but it’s a far more encompassing, far deeper objective.

As I work with my clients, they begin working with the surface promise. Then, suddenly, they really start to experience depth. As their dog moves with them and stays focused on them wondering what is next, they truly start to feel the resonance with their dog that they so longed for.

That’s how I get my “Wow!” factor.

That’s when they learn that what we’re doing isn’t about simply training behaviors. It’s about using scientifically-proven concepts and techniques to facilitate and nurture loving relationships, including relationships with other people. That’s my overdeliver. That’s what I really do.

Make sense?

Here’s another example.

When you sign up to work with Heather as a client, you may think that she is going to help you build a website that acts as your marketing partner to help you turn visitors into leads, and leads into clients.

Will she do that? Sure. But that’s not what she really does.

What she really does (as your “website fairy godmother”) is help you have a clear plan and the confidence to promote yourself online so that you can have the time and financial freedom to live a vital, thriving life.

See how that includes, yet goes far beyond, what you originally thought she was about?

Your Turn

Too often business owners become so focused on their products and services that they don’t think beyond that.

If you have, then fantastic! I can’t cheer for you enough.

If you haven’t, I would like you to take out a piece of paper (or bring up a document) and write the following:

When I work with clients, I help them…

Now, continue that sentence. If you’ve never worked with anything like this before, it might be hard to figure out. That’s okay. Think of it as growing pains. But I know you can do it. It might take several revisions and constant tweaking (mine did), but in the end you will have a much better focus and turn clients into “raving fans”.

I would love to hear what you come up with. Place your “What I Really Do” statement in the comments, or as a reply in our Facebook Group. I’ll give you feedback and maybe some tips on strengthening it.