The
Power of the Guarantee
by Alan Rosenspan
Do You Have a Guarantee?
Chances are, your company has some kind of a guarantee policy.If something goes wrong, or a customer isn't satisfied, you'll either make it right or refund the money. It's not altruistic - it's good business.
However, most companies rarely use their guarantee in their marketing -possibly because they're afraid that too many people will take advantage of it. This is a mistake.
The most famous guarantee is L.L. Bean, and they've been
using it with great success for many years. It reads as follows:
"All of our products are guaranteed to give you 100% satisfaction
in every way. Return anything purchased from us at any time if it proves
otherwise. We do not want you to have anything from L.L. Bean that is
not completely satisfactory."
L.L. Bean will actually take back virtually anything no matter how long ago you bought it -- and they are delighted to replace it. They may even write about it their catalog, or put the returned merchandise on display in their store up in Freeport, Maine.
The reason why is that they know for every customer who abuses their guarantee, there are hundreds of people who will become customers because they won't worry about making a bad decision. They'll think, "If they took back that, I'll have no trouble getting my money back if I'm not satisfied."
By the way, make sure and put your guarantee in a prominent place. Ideally, on the actual order form.
How important is a good guarantee? When Lands' End began
offering their German customers a lifetime guarantee -- an organization
of German retailers sued them. They felt it gave Lands' End "an unfair
competitive edge." Lands' End lost the case - but that should give
you some idea of the power of a
guarantee!
Writer extraordinaire, columnist, and speaker Alan Rosenspan can be reached at
Alan Rosenspan & Associates
281 Needham Street
Newton, MA 02464
Tel: 617-559-0999
Fax: 617-559-0996
E-Mail: Arosenspan@aol.com
Please visit: www.alanrosenspan.com
