How to Not Over-Promise and Under-Deliver

When you over promise and under deliver you lose your credibility and that is incredibly hard to win back. Over promising and under delivering is something you want to avoid like the plague. On the contrary if you can over-deliver and give more than is expected you can expect to become much more successful. So today I want to give you some ways to avoid over-promising and actually give you some tips to over-deliver.

How to avoid over-promising:

1. Don’t ever make promises you can’t keep. If you are unsure you are going to be able to deliver on something do not say that you can. To make a promise you can’t keep is a huge detriment to you. If you can’t follow through on what you are promising it is better to make no promises.

2. Set a realistic time frame. If you can’t accomplish something in a certain amount of time do not say you can. It is better to say it will take you a week to get done with something if you know it will take just a few days. People will always be appreciative if it takes you less time than what you say. You will find that people are not as patient if you say it will take you a week and it takes you longer than promised.

3. Don’t over commit yourself. Give yourself some breathing room and do not take on more than you can handle. This can a big factor with people that under-deliver. They bite off more than they can chew and over extend themselves so much it is easy to under-deliver. When you over-commit yourself you don’t allow free time for mistakes or unexpected events that may arise.

How to over deliver-

1. Go the extra mile. One of my favorite quotes by Gary Blair is, “Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following? The extra mile.” If you go the extra mile you are going to will the trust and loyalty of people.

2. Treat people how you would want to be treated. Try and reverse the roles and think of yourself as your customer, think about how you would want to be treated. Think about times when you had outstanding service or experiences and what made them stand out. Think about how you can take those things and apply them to treat people as you would want to be treated.

3. Give something above and beyond what is expected. I am reading the book, The Success Principles by Jack Canfield and this is a paragraph that stood out to me. He says, “If you want to really excel at what you do-really become a howling success in school, business or life- do more than in required, always giving something extra, something that is not expected. A business that goes the extra mile earns the respect, loyalty and referrals of its customers.”

I know if you use these tips and over-deliver in your business or life rewards are going to come your way. I would love to hear other things you do to over-deliver, leave me a comment below and let me know.

If you found this valuable I always appreciate you sharing it with your friends on social media.

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Comments

Rhonda says:

09/06/2010 at 10:12 pm

I love this post Angela! Such great advice! Thanks!
Rhonda´s last [type] ..You Inspire Me – Time

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Angela Reply:
September 19th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Thanks Rhonda! I was hoping it would be helpful advice.

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Nat says:

09/06/2010 at 11:29 pm

Hey Angela

This is actually a pet peeve of mine, I really don’t like it when people promise me something and then under deliver. This is probably why I always ensure I am the opposite!
You cover some great simple to implement tips here. I think that for me when building sites or helping people out with their sites I always over extend with my time, simply because I love it when you deliver way before they expect you to and it goes a long way towards people telling others about your services. No better marketing than “word of mouth”
thanks for the great tips
cheers
Nat
Nat´s last [type] ..My Personal Strategy – How Replying To Comments Is Not Just About Replying To Comments
Twitter: natalielouiseau

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Angela Reply:
September 19th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
I hate it as well when people make promises and then don’t do it or underdeliver. I try and do the opposite as well. I think that is a great idea ot over extend with your timeline because people are really happy when you do something faster than you say you will. Thanks for your comment!

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Ryan Yokome says:

09/07/2010 at 2:59 pm

Hey Angela!

Awesome post once again. And congrats by the way on reading Jack Canfields book! Great stuff there.

You’re spot on with this one. In the past I’ve had some REALLY interesting people promise me tons of things, but never follow through. Trust me, I’ve learned from their mistakes! haha
Ryan Yokome´s last [type] ..Life Transformation Now Bonus Giveaway

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Angela Reply:
September 19th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
I can’t get enough of his book, it really is some great stuff. I have had the same thing happen to me with people that make promises and don’t deliver. I have learned from that as well.

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Gerald Gigerl says:

09/08/2010 at 4:02 am

Hy Angela,

congratulations for creating such an uplifting post.

The point that inspired me the most is that once you over-promised something and can´t achieve it you will significantly loose trust.
Yeah, trust is not easy to win back, it will take you some time and proofs until other people will restart trusting you.

Thanks for the great post and all the best,

Gerald
Gerald Gigerl´s last [type] ..How To Accomplish More By Doing Less Hint- Is it Time For A Vacation

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Oliver Tausend says:

09/08/2010 at 4:53 am

Hi Angela,

great advice. One of the most important life skills is the ability to say “no” to people – this ability will prevent us from making promises we can’t keep.

Take care

Oliver
Oliver Tausend´s last [type] ..Lessons From Robert Kiyosaki’s “Cashflow Quadrant” For MLM Network Marketing Pt 6
Twitter: luckyoliver70

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Glyna Humm says:

09/10/2010 at 8:32 am

Angela – I like the new layout of your blog and the banner – very nice! THis is such an important lesson for your business! It takes a long time to build up trust and prove your “worthiness” as a business owner. However, only one mistake can tear everything down you have worked for – so it is so important to be able to deliver what you promise! Thanks for such great info.
Glyna Humm´s last [type] ..Make Them Smile With Appreciation Marketing

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Katherine Droguett says:

09/10/2010 at 11:17 am

Hi Angela

How are you? Great post. This is one of the most untouched and least discussed topic. Hats off for pulling off this feat. Most of us believe that we can accomplish a task and inadvertently set unrealistic deadlines. We don’t realize that it hampers business relations on both sides. One should at least deliver promises on time if not before.
Great read

Regards,
Katherine

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Jennifer May says:

09/15/2010 at 4:41 am

Hi Angela! What an awesome post! It definitely is crucial to your name, brand and success to follow these tips. To ensure that integrity is always in place and that you are gaining solid momentum in the relationships you are building.

Thanks for the great post as always!
Jennifer May´s last [type] ..Life Is Forever Changing… Are You Changing With It
Twitter: jennkmay

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Joe LoFreso with LGN Prosperity says:

09/24/2010 at 12:25 am

Hi Angela,
Great article. Over promising and under delivering is one of my pet peeves. I could really relate to your blog, Great job.
Joe LoFreso with LGN Prosperity´s last [type] ..The Auto-Responder… Your Future Fortune

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Richard Goutal says:

10/09/2010 at 10:34 am

It comes down to the principle of reciprocity – do unto others – etc. As you put it in Treat people as you want to be treated. Wouldn’t I want….
-my web hosting company to go the extra mile?
-my business printing & copying service to go the extra mile?
-my computer repair shop to go the extra mile?
Yes for sure on all counts. And I can think of examples where this has happened in each of the three.
I have to say though, my enemy in all this is the “over commit” warning you gave.
Richard Goutal´s last [type] ..JValert Lessons Learned From the Denver Conference

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Melodie Kantner says:

10/11/2010 at 10:54 pm

I have always been obsessed in this area. I hate when people say they are going to do something, then never deliver. When started writing my newsletter over 12 years ago, I wrestled with the idea for a couple months before I started it. I was not going to start something I could not keep up. It was scary because I realized it was a commitment. Once I started writing the newsletter I stuck with it. January will be my 13th anniversary publishing that newsletter. I have NEVER missed a month. Now I have 5 newsletters. I love it and I am glad I stuck with it. Sticking with things is a key to success.
Melodie Kantner´s last [type] ..Are You Exuding Passion

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Juniper Currie says:

10/21/2010 at 5:47 pm

Thanks Angela for these helpful suggestions. It’s so easy to over commit yourself sometimes because it’s hard to say no to someone. But giving yourself a bigger time frame can help with that.
Juniper Currie´s last [type] ..Inspirational Quotes
Twitter: junipercurrie

[Reply]
Angela Reply:
October 26th, 2010 at 10:51 am
It is true, it is so easy to overcommit yourself. It is hard to say no but I think that is an important thing to learn. Thanks so much for your comment!

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